Pastor M's Blog

New Address...

2009-02-03T19:02:00.001+03:00

Hi, just moved! I've decided to move from this address. Check out my new blog at www.greatnessnow.wordpress.com

True, Not Popular

2009-01-27T16:18:00.002+03:00

Yeah… I know. I didn’t blog last week. Blame it on the general pace of life this January! Something had to give. But it’s been a good month. I’ve been preaching through a series called ‘Happily Ever After’ at Mavuno. Carol & I have taught marriage seminars for years but this is the first time we’re actually doing a sermon series on the subject. She hasn’t been well enough to co-teach but has helped work on the sermons. It’s gone really well; great to see so many coming wanting to hear God’s word. Part two begins this Sunday and it will be great to teach together.

Over the last couple of weeks, we also launched our biggest ever Mizizi cohort with 500 people! And our School of Prayer class with around 200. Confirming something I’ve believed for a long time; that most people in this generation are not anti-God. They’re actually hungry. Not for religion but for a real encounter with a real God.

Of course that creates a good problem. The need for passionate leaders. I feel Jesus when he says ‘the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few’. And I’m praying that the Lord of the harvest raises many laborers for Mavuno.

I'm greatly enjoying reading through the book of Luke. The first four books (aka gospels) are biographies about Jesus, two by eyewitnesses (Matthew & John) and two by journalists who interviewed the eyewitnesses (Mark & Luke). They sound similar and yet each has a unique angle. Like watching the news on four different stations!

Matthew, former taxman, wrote mainly to the Jews to show how everything in their history found fulfillment in Jesus’ life and how we too are completed in Jesus. Mark, who probably got his story from Peter, has the simplest story with no digressions but gets straight to the point, eager to share the great news that God is here right now and on our side. Luke, a medic and one of Paul’s companions, writes like a historian, giving much attention to detail, but also as a non-Jew is passionate to show how the good news is relevant to all those typically treated as ‘on the outside’ because of their gender, ethnicity, health status or poverty. John, who was one of Jesus’ closest friends, sounds most different from the others. As the only survivor of Jesus’ inner core, he writes not only to recollect what happened but to interpret it in the light of his understanding of Jesus as the eternal Creator who takes on human form.

So… now you know! I thank God for the rain. And pray it will bring an end to the drought. But with it I pray God will also end our drought of leadership. And raise up godly leaders in for Kenya. In government, parliament, the judiciary, the media, the church, industry etc. Of course God often answers our prayers through us. I’m praying He will use me to raise up many godly men and women who will give godly leadership in every sector of society. What are you praying for yourself?

Let me leave you with Luke 6:26 which has stood out for me this week…

‘There’s trouble ahead when you live only for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them. Popularity contests are not truth contests – look how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors! Your task is to be true, not popular.’

Have a great week!

Naivasha Musings...

2009-01-13T07:15:00.002+03:00

Am in Naivasha (my favorite place in the whole world) on retreat with the Mavuno staff team (best staff team in the whole world)! Our objective is to connect on our vision, values and goals for the year as well and to invest in the relationships that will carry us through it. One of my strong beliefs is that we spend so many of our best hours with our workmates that it would be tragic to work with people we don’t enjoy! I’m amazed when I reflect on how God has grown us as a team and some of the incredible moments we’ve shared together. I look forward to some great times this week.

We kicked our new series at Mavuno ‘Happily Ever After’ last Sunday. We’re looking at marriage from the bible’s point of view. From the great response, it’s clearly a live subject for this generation. I look forward to seeing God @ work during the rest of the series.

Meanwhile, I’m enjoying the New Testament read-thru. This week we’ll finish the book of Matthew and start on Mark, which is definitely my favorite eye-witness account of Jesus’ life. Matthew aka Levi, was a former tax-collector who gave it all up to follow Jesus (Matthew 9:9). Back in the day, tax-collectors were not very popular (some things never change!) and were reviled for their corruption.

Matthew was so amazed that Jesus would accept a person like him that he asked him for dinner and invited all his buddies – referred to as ‘disreputable characters’ or ‘notorious sinners’ depending on which version you’re reading! The religious leaders of the day were scandalized that Jesus would socialize with such people. Jesus’ reply to them was characteristically no-nonsense…

“Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: ‘I’m after mercy, not religion.’ I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders”. Or as another version puts it, “I’ve come to call sinners, not those who already think they are good enough”.

Walala! How affirming for Matthew and people like him through the ages, who came to Jesus knowing they had ‘issues’ that desperately needed fixing! And how uncomfortable for us Christians when we think we have our act together, and work hard not to 'contaminate' ourselves by hanging out with ‘sinners’!

I like this quote; ‘the church is a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints.’

More Than Bread…

2009-01-06T06:48:00.003+03:00

I began my 3 month New Testament Challenge. Along with all the other Kenyans joining gyms, going on diets and starting to attend church, hopefully some of you who are reading this are doing it with me! This time round, I’m using a paraphrase of the bible (not an exact translation but more of an informal rewrite in contemporary language) called 'The Message'. If you’re doing The Challenge, please invest in an easy to understand version or paraphrase; maybe one you haven’t read through before. You’ll be amazed how the dramatic story comes alive as you read it!

Some of you who take The Challenge will struggle with the reading plan. You’ll come to a great idea or difficult verse and want to stop and camp there; figure out what it means. But while this is a great thing to do, you need to take care not to miss the forest for the trees. Reading through as we’re doing every once in a while is a great way to get the big picture; a bird’s eye view of God’s word. And as Matthew 4:4 puts it, ‘It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth’

Of course the main challenge will involve time. Ensuring you set aside enough time to do this every day. With this one, if you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail. So right from the beginning, set aside a time when you’ll do this daily. And if you miss a couple of readings, don’t beat yourself up! You can catch up by reading on the off-days or even extending the 3 months a bit.

Here are some of my favorite quotes (ala The Message) so far followed by some my resulting random thoughts (that I turned into prayer)…

Matthew 3:17 ‘This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life’

Matthew 5:18 Not only that – count yourself blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens – give a cheer even! For though they don’t like it I do!

Matthew 4:23 ‘God’s kingdom was (Jesus’) theme – that beginning right now they were under God’s government – a good government! He also healed people of their diseases and the bad effects of their lives’.

Matthew 5:1 ‘When Jesus saw his ministry was drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions.’

If you’re doing God’s work God’s way, expect critics! I tend to get discouraged whenever I’m criticized especially if I perceive it to be unfair. Yet I feel affirmed and encouraged by my Heavenly Father to keep going in 2009 despite what any critics or haters may say. Say after me... I have the Father’s blessing and that’s what counts.

Jesus’ message to his generation was that God is now here to take over. Their only hope of survival lay in their giving their lives over to Him completely. Moving from the driver’s seat and surrendering not only the keys but the logbook as well (not minor repairs but a total overhaul). This is the message of the Kingdom. It's a coup against my self-directed life. It’s not ‘say this prayer and you’ll be safe forever’. God isn’t interested in just taking over the religious sphere of our lives; in our Sunday piety… in turning us into ‘nice Christians. He wants it all, including Monday to Saturday. Secular and spiritual. It’s only when He has control over everything in our lives that He can deal with our issues and turn us into Fearless Influencers; who in turn take over on His behalf, not just the ‘spiritual’ and ‘religious’ areas but every sector of society.

When people realized he had a life-giving message, crowds were the result. Jesus raised the bar though. He took it a notch higher so that only those who were willing to go further could. I need to ensure that I’m not just following Him when it’s convenient. Instead I must move from being a consumer Christian and follow Him into those quiet and sometimes lonely places where I’ll hear Him most clearly.

If you’re taking The Challenge, please feel free to add a comment and share what you’re learning with the rest of us!

New Year Challenge

2008-12-30T09:55:00.004+03:00

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

2008-12-30T09:52:00.001+03:00

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 31^st (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.

2008-12-25T08:51:00.003+03:00

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!

Village Christmas

2008-12-18T08:20:00.003+03:00

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...

Christmas Controversies

2008-12-16T07:31:00.001+03:00

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….

December...

2008-12-10T07:54:00.001+03:00

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 19^th & 20^th 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.

The Night The Heaven’s Smiled

2008-12-02T22:25:00.001+03:00

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…

Away

2008-11-27T15:47:00.000+03:00

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!

Media Revolution

2008-11-18T07:15:00.001+03:00

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!

Summit

2008-11-11T07:46:00.002+03:00

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

Back

2008-11-04T07:37:00.000+03:00

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!

Faith Paradox

2008-10-22T08:41:00.003+03:00

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

2008-10-22T08:03:00.003+03:00

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.

The Responsibility Of Leadership

2008-10-14T15:30:00.000+03:00

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!

Gratitude Adjustment

2008-10-07T07:15:00.002+03:00

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?

Life Happens

2008-09-30T08:25:00.002+03:00

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.

Financial Fitness

2008-09-17T06:20:00.002+03:00

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!

Critics

2008-09-09T06:38:00.002+03:00

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.’

Financial Fitness

2008-09-02T09:10:00.002+03:00

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 (5^th), 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!

Adrenalin Junkie

2008-08-25T11:05:00.003+03:00

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’.

Blessings

2008-08-12T06:36:00.001+03:00

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!

Issues

2008-08-05T07:10:00.001+03:00

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!

Temperamental anyone?

2008-07-29T09:32:00.001+03:00

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!

Friends

2008-07-22T08:57:00.002+03:00

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.

Time Off

2008-07-16T16:33:00.002+03:00

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!

Meet Joe Black

2008-07-03T08:49:00.001+03:00

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.

Books ~ The Pastor M Awards

2008-06-24T06:52:00.003+03:00

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]

Stuff Happens

2008-06-18T06:46:00.002+03:00

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!

Musings On Purpose

2008-06-10T08:18:00.001+03:00

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

2008-06-10T08:11:00.000+03:00

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!

If At First You Don’t Succeed…

2008-05-22T14:20:00.001+03:00

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…

Earthquake In China

2008-05-13T19:36:00.004+03:00

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.

Tribalism Is Not The Issue…

2008-05-05T15:13:00.002+03:00

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.

Rest

2008-04-29T09:06:00.001+03:00

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!’

Leaders on Leadership

2008-04-08T18:05:00.005+03:00

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:

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Your Love Has Set Me Free

2008-04-01T19:57:00.002+03:00

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

National Cake – Lessons From Sunday School

2008-03-31T15:39:00.000+03:00

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

2008-03-31T15:38:00.001+03:00

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.

What Has Msafara Accomplished?

2008-03-17T19:00:00.000+03:00

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

Miracle in Eldoret

2008-03-17T18:59:00.002+03:00

Eldoret had been undergoing a major dry spell by the time we got there. During our rally there, Pst. Simon who was leading prayers prayed that it would rain that evening. By the time we got to Kisumu, the texts were coming in – it was raining in Eldoret! We need to continue praying for good rains as many parts of our country are facing a drought, that could put at risk the most vulnerable among our citizens

Abok’s Story

2008-03-17T18:57:00.000+03:00

Abok was one of the young men heavily involved in post election violence and looting in Nairobi. His rage drove him and his friends to wage war against members of a different tribe. He threw stones and tear gas at the police. At some point after the violence abated however, he found himself filled with remorse and emptiness. His life lacked direction and purpose.

Then he heard about the Msafara. Made his way to Nairobi Baptist to sign up and found he needed a signed reference from his pastor as well as 5000/- to join. He went to one of Nairobi’s more famous churches and asked the pastor’s secretary if they could sign his form and sponsor him for the trip. But pastor was away and secretary was unwilling to commit.

Abok not knowing what to do next determined to volunteer for odd jobs at the Msafara secretariat and to make himself so valuable that they’d have no choice but to take him with them. Long story short, strategy worked, and he somehow slipped by the screening process and became a Msafiri - without the required pastor’s reference! For the next week, he found himself surrounded by Christians across the country praying against violence and working among those affected by it. He made friends who genuinely seemed to care about him. No one knew his story but something began to burn within. At some point, Abok could take it no more, and confessed his actions to one of the Msafara pastors, who prayed for him as he accepted Jesus as his Savior.

So now Abok is passionate to become a part of the solution instead of the problem. And he is convinced that God wants him to be a pastor one day, so that he can help others who are where he was, not too long ago.

Ken’s Story

2008-03-17T18:56:00.000+03:00

So, here’s the last part of Pastor Ken’s story (see ‘holding out hope’ below). He took my good friends Pst. Kuchio of NPC Parklands and Pst. Patrick Murunga of Good Shepherd Church with him the next morning to see the man – who apparently was in charge of security arrangements at the camp. Thankfully, they had actually postponed their revenge mission and were preparing to go that night. They even had managed to get a truck! They asked my friends if they knew where they could get extra weapons!

In Pst. Ken’s words, ‘Counseling 101 never prepared me for this!’ As the rest prayed though, Pst. Kuchio engaged the man in serious conversation about how God not only forgives us but He enables us to forgive others. Then, an amazing thing happened; not only did the man agree to dismantle his revenge mission, but he also decided to turn his life over to Christ.

Msafara Conclusion

2008-03-17T18:50:00.000+03:00

The last day in Kisumu was as awesome as the rest had been. We had a special service for the 300 wasafiri at the new NCCK guest house where we were staying (a really nice facility by the way, if you’re ever in Kisumu). Had an opportunity to hear testimonies from many wasafiri about their experiences. Many shared how their lives had been changed by Msafira, including several who talked about how their own prejudices had been confronted by God and how they had learnt to love people from communities they had struggled to accept. Service lasted three and a half hours but could have gone on for two more… that’s how gripping the stories were. Had to cut short because it was time for lunch though! Before we ended, we shared Holy Communion as a sign of the unity God calls us all to – as people from different denominations, generations and tribes.

In the afternoon, our final service in Kisumu. A much larger crowd than before. The former mayor and now present MP of Kisumu attended. We prayed for a new beginning for Kisumu, Nyanza and the whole country. It was a great thing to see Christian leaders of various tribes on the platform: A visible representation of the church’s important role in modeling unity in our diversity. Archbishop Ajwoga, an elderly and much respected local leader, spoke powerful about how church leaders had failed by taking political sides during the election period. Bishop Njiri gave a great message as usual.

Got to say one more time – one of the things I love about the culture in this westernmost part of our country is how well people know how to celebrate and dance. I have seldom enjoyed a worship time more! My hat off to the praise band that led us the whole time we were there.

Kisumu –Final Stop

2008-03-16T09:13:00.000+03:00

I didn’t learn enough superlatives in school to describe our time in Kisumu. For me, it will probably rank as the most memorable time of the town the Msafara visited. Local pastors had organized a many car convoy to meet us. Together we wove our way into the city, led by a pickup with loudspeakers announcing our mission. Depending on what part of town we were passing, I could see various emotions in people’s eyes. Curiosity, surprise, indifference, even outright hostility. Later learnt some people may have thought we were a busload of Mungiki militants! Our convoy ended up at the Jomo Kenyatta sports ground. And there we found…

The surprise party! There were tents set up with people in them, an amazing praise team and band on the dais. The music was fantastic. As soon as the buses stopped, wasafiri poured out of them to join in the praise party. For around 30 minutes, that’s all we did… dance! People here know how to have a good time! As long as the day had been, we could have gone on for another few hours. Everyone was disappointed when the music stopped! The pastor’s fellowship welcomed us to Kisumu, prayed for us, and we were off to our guest house for dinner.

Then, the pastor’s fellowship the next day... If I thought Eldoret was something, Kisumu was off the charts! Many, many local bishops and church leaders in attendance…Like LD, Kisumu suffered a lot as a result of post-election violence. There was much pain here. We knew the issues to discuss would be heavy. And they were.

But somehow God cut through all the formalities. Bishop Njiri of the KAG church is respected as one of the church leaders who refused to take political sides during the 07 elections. This leader stood up and offered a heartfelt repentance on behalf of the Kikuyu believers for all that had transpired between the Kikuyu and Luo since independence. And the God-moment came. There were few dry eyes in the house. Many leaders on their knees bawling their eyes out… including yours truly. Archbishop Silas Owiti, a highly respected church leader here, accepted the repentance and embraced his counterpart. As if that was not enough, Bishop Njiri confessed that Bishop Orao (another respected leader here), had once worked under him and they had been close friends but parted ways many years ago in a way that had hurt their relationship. He publicly repented of his part in their disagreement and asked his former colleague to forgive him. Bishop Orao also asked forgiveness for his part and as the two hugged, Bishop Njiri prayed a prayer of blessing for him as a son in ministry.

Okay, you get the picture. Things were out of our control from that moment and in God’s hands! For me, this meeting and the visit to the church in Kiambaa were worth all the work that has gone into Msafara. I saw visibly something I’ve always believed – that the church is the hope of the world. What we experienced in that room was not calm (the absence of war) but genuine shalom or peace.

The rest of the wasafiri had a chance to visit displaced peoples in Kisumu. The national violence has had a huge toll here and family structures are under great strain to support relatives from other parts of the country. We handed over a lorry of food and another of hygiene packs to the pastor’s fellowship to distribute. So far we have donated 5 tons of food to Naivasha, and roughly 24 tons each to Nakuru, Eldoret and Kisumu, in addition to over 25 tons of clothing and hygiene packs. We have handed these to the various pastor’s fellowships to distribute especially the displaced who are not in the camps.

In the afternoon, the Kisumu prayer rally took place. Local pastors and bishops led in prayers of repentance for Kisumu and Nyanza. Intense time of prayer… At the end of it I was exhausted in more ways than I thought possible. But the local pastors were just beginning! They announced another rally the next day (Sunday) at the same venue.

May my heart never forget the things my eyes have seen these last few days.

Eldoret Prayers

2008-03-16T05:54:00.000+03:00

We had a great prayer public rally in Eldoret on Friday. We’ll attended, despite the fact that it was during working hours. The theme was that it’s time for peace to return to LD and for people to live together. The new mayor was in attendance. Repentance prayers were said by local pastors over the violence that has taken place in the North Rift. Jemimah Thiongo sang and was as usual, ‘Akisema Atakubariki’ was a great hit. There was a student’s music festival going on at the town hall as well and many of the students came to watch.

After that, we were on our buses and off to Kisumu. Took the Kapsabet route. Short stop at the Kapsabet town, where many homes and shops were burnt… Many of the IDP’s in Eldoret come from this area. You could still feel the tension in the air, and I was glad when we finally set off from there. After quite a bumpy ride, we were soon within the outskirts of Kisumu.

Prayer Cover

2008-03-13T21:12:00.002+03:00

You know the tiredness thing I was praying about in Nairobi? Somehow it’s gone. Yes I still get weary by the end of the day. But somehow my mind has the perseverance to keep plodding on. Maybe it’s because of all the people praying for the Msafara. This morning, someone read us emails from people here, in Europe, America and other places across planet Earth that are praying for us. Awesome!

If you'd like to read Pst. Oscar's detailed account of our intense pastors meeting in LD, check out his post on the msafara blog - http://msafara.wordpress.com.

In Eldoret

2008-03-13T21:08:00.000+03:00

Eldoret has a deceptively calm facade that conceals a town where more than the others we’ve visited, people still live in tension. The large IDP camp at the showground holds 24,000 people. Yes, that’s right. The one in Nakuru was huge, but it only held 15,000. There was terrible violence in Eldoret. Speak with the townspeople for a little while and you will soon begin to sense the depth of trauma that they have experienced.

We had a full wasafiri meeting for the first time in a while and had a very encouraging time sharing about some of the awesome things God has been doing in the different things we’ve been involved in. Then we divided into two teams. Pastors met with local pastors at the International Vision Church while the rest of the wasafiri spent time with some displaced families at a nearby church.

The time with the pastors was the most intense yet. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Unlike the other places, there was little time for niceties. The large group of local pastors who showed up had been through too much for that. We immediately dived into very open confession by the chair of the pastor’s fellowship about what happened in Eldoret. The speaker of the day then spoke with great conviction from Romans 14:17. Without righteousness, there can be no peace. Without peace, there can be no true joy. Without these three things, all our work is in vain, as it has nothing to do with God’s purposes.

Got to say, at some point I wasn’t sure if any of this would connect. But like in every other place we’ve been, the God-moment came. Some remarkable stuff happened. As usual, I wish I was a poet so my words could help you feel with me. Holy memories include a bishop from one warring community literally washing the feet of a pastor from the other, following Christ’s example… And pastors from different tribes hugging one another… Or how about the man whose wife and children were brutally killed and yet who publicly forgave those who did it? My, my, may my mind never write over these memories!

In the afternoon, we had a chance to visit the church in Kiambaa; the famous one that was burnt down with women and children in it. No wheelchair or bicycles – the same youth had subsequently returned for all the scrap metal in the vicinity, including mabati roof and wire fencing. We met a woman there who had been in the church when it happened, one of the few who escaped. Jane held us all spellbound with the detailed story of how the attack happened. Rather gory – maybe one day I’ll put up the little video I took on this blog – with a parental advisory. We realized she needed to tell it though – and we let her. Another holy moment… she then shared that because of her faith in Jesus, she had chosen to forgive her neighbors who had done this deed. This from a woman still living in an IDP camp. We were both humbled and overwhelmed.

Wasafiri got to visit the IDP camps. The large camp in LD is very different from the rest we’ve seen. The people in it seem more angry and less ready to hear about forgiveness. Maybe it’s because they still live within striking distance of danger. One person shared with me how one of the people he spoke with has been in camps four times; each time there were ‘clashes’ in ’91, ’92, ’97 and currently. His question, ‘you want me to forgive them again?’

This morning I had to remind the wasafiri… don’t try to play God. Let people tell their story. Empathize. Show concern and care. Only talk if and when they allow you to. Pray for them. And trust God to be the one who heals.

A good note to end on... One of the pastors just received a call from a Nakuru pastor who’d been at our meeting there. This pastor says something has changed in her life since we were there… there’s new energy; a sense of a new beginning; new opportunities.

Westward Ho

2008-03-13T06:41:00.000+03:00

Eem, the journey to Eldoret was – dusty and backbreaking. I was glad for the signs that the road is being fixed. But that distant thought offered little comfort at the time.

Passing through Eldama Ravine, Timboroa, Burnt Forest… many of these places had IDP camps. People living in tents not far from where they once owned homes and property... We saw many homesteads that had been razed to the ground. You could still see the smoke curling lazily out of some of the ruins. A poignant moment was when one of the pastors sitting near me pointed out the home where her family had lived a little while back, just after we passed the camp where many of her family members, including her sisters, still reside.

At Timboroa, we disembarked for a few minutes. A sad memory of a whole section of houses burnt down that a little while ago were homes and hubs of business. Many in the Nakuru camp had come from this area.

It was dark by the time we drove through Burnt Forest. Mercifully the road was better. Sinister fires all over the place made it seem like the whole place was under attack. I came to understand later that most of these were from locals clearing their land for ploughing. But many on the bus claimed they saw some houses burning.

We prayed throughout most of the journey. I know people on the other buses were doing the same.

I was exhausted by the time we got to Eldoret. Physically, spiritually and emotionally.

Holding Out Hope

2008-03-13T06:03:00.001+03:00

I keep reminding myself we’re not here to ‘fix’ these towns. Only to hold out hope… That if the church can work together, to care for the hurting and to build and maintain peace, then nothing will be impossible. That we’re only a catalyst. The true test of Msafara will be what happens in these places after Msafara is gone. But this is where faith comes in. I have faith that God is using our small contribution as a seed, one that He will water after we’re gone. And one that will grow into a beautiful tree that will hold our nation together in peace and justice…

Clear that there is much yet to be done. Pastor Ken of Kileleshwa Covenant Community Church told me of a young man he met at one of the camps we visited in Nakuru. His wife had been killed by militia the night before (contrary to popular belief, the Anan accord hasn’t ended the tension and killing in all parts of the country). He had gathered 100 of his friends from the camp to go back the same night on a revenge mission. Ken asked what he thought would happen next. Off course they would also come back and revenge. And the vicious cycle would continue. Someone had to break the cycle of violence. Why couldn’t it be the young man? Young man promised to think about it. Ken prayed for him. I’ll find out from Ken today whether he saw the young man again before we left Nakuru

Hope In Nakuru

2008-03-13T06:00:00.001+03:00

Nakuru was quite something. Initially the pastor’s fellowship didn’t want Msafara in their town. Reason being that the church was so divided ethnically and politically they didn’t think it would be possible to meet together. It was only by God’s grace that they finally agreed to host us. Unlike the other towns, the Msafara pastors went into a meeting with Nakuru pastors while the rest of the team went to visit the two IDP camps in town. The pastor’s meeting was intense. Against all expectations, a large group of local pastors attended, many of whom I came to learn hadn’t spoken to each other for a long time.

I can honestly say only God could bring about what was accomplished. During the pastor’s meeting, we had a chance to pray for our brothers and sisters who are hurting, and to pray for forgiveness and reconciliation. Many had not been in the same room since several months before the elections. There was an opportunity to challenge these leaders to put aside differences and to work together as the spiritual leaders of the city. As we concluded on the second day, there was a clear sense to all present that despite the seeming impossibility of it all, God had somehow broken through. As we shared Holy Communion with each other, a sense of love, unity and oneness filled the room. Leaders walked across the room to hug those from other tribes. Once more, words fail me to express the miracle that we had witnessed.

Meanwhile, the rest of the wasafiri were visiting the two IDP camps in town. You’ve got to see and experience the camps in the Rift Valley for yourself, to understand the scope of the suffering. Somehow TV pictures don’t quite transmit how hopeless the situation is for these fellow citizens. Our wasafiri had a chance to share the care packs and food with the people there, many of who had seen their own homes burnt in the last couple of months. The musicians on the team also put on a concert and during the times of prayer that followed, our wasafiri had a chance to pray, empathize and cry with many of the multitude who came to listen. Their testimony is that even there, there was a heart connection that only God could have engineered.

Afterwards we all drove in a convoy around town to the places worst affected by the violence led by the Nakuru pastors. Using loudspeakers mounted on a van, we conveyed words of hope to the residents of these areas. In many, there was a warm response. In some, a weary and hollow look in people’s eyes that could only have come from the trauma of post-election violence. One section we drove through that was once a thriving, bustling settlement was now a ghost-town.

As we left, I spoke to one of the Nakuru pastors, who was overwhelmed. He felt much more had been accomplished in that short meeting than he would have imagined in his wildest dreams. I thank God for a chance to distribute 24 tones of food to Nakuru. But of even greater long-term impact in my opinion, will be the impact of the unity among the town’s spiritual leaders.

In Naivasha

2008-03-12T06:47:00.000+03:00

An early rendezvous (7am) saw the whole team at Nairobi Baptist Church, hauling care packs onto trucks that would be accompanying us on our trip to the west. After the logistical drama of getting everyone on the right bus, we were finally off around 10.30am, way behind schedule! Our 6 buses made it to Naivasha where we were met by a convoy of cars driven by pastors from there and led by several piki-piki outriders! The convoy dramatically made its way around the town (not our idea but it certainly had an effect!) and ended up at the ACK church where had an action packed 30 minute prayer service with the Christians there. One of our teams stayed out during the service to simultaneously unload a 12 ton lorry of food and around 1000 hygiene packs. Serious military precision… I hadn’t believed so much could be accomplished in such a short time! Very proud of the Wasafiri 300

In an earlier post, I described how divided the pastor’s fellowship had been as a result of the post-election violence. One of the people who commented on that post shared the pain her mom had felt when she realized her own pastor was in cahoots with the people who evicted her. I’m glad to say there’s been much progress in Naivasha subsequently. It was clear to see that the pastors had worked hard at coming to agreement and were working in unity. They are glad for the opportunity to serve the displaced in both camps together (like many Rift Valley towns, there are two IDP camps here – with displaced people from different ethnic groups). I see much hope for lasting peace & unity in Naivasha.

In almost no time, we were on the way to Nakuru, leaving behind a much encouraged church.

The Msafara 300

2008-03-12T05:53:00.002+03:00

The team comprises people of different generations, tribes, and churches from across the whole country. About 120 are pastors while the rest are Christians who’ve taken time off from work or school to be here. All so different, but with the same heart and purpose. Things haven’t always worked as they should. But there’s a lot of grace and flexibility. A good sense of camaraderie among the wasafiri… I believe lifetime friendships are being formed as we march together across the nation. What an adventure!

And as we seek change in the hearts of others, our own hearts are surely being changed...

Msafara in Nairobi

2008-03-12T05:37:00.000+03:00

After such an intense time at the Coast sandwiched by the long journey there, I wasn’t sure we’d have energy for the meeting in Nairobi. I kept praying Isaiah 40:30-31 for the team…

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

And you know what? When we finally met on Monday afternoon, I was amazed how cheery and energized everyone looked. The venue of the meeting was the courtyard at the KICC where there’s a famous statue of our first president. What a strategic place to pray for our city and nation; in an open space surrounded by the seats of the Judiciary on one side (High Court), the Executive on another (KICC itself), Parliament on the third side, and finally our city government (City Hall).

We’d already had weekly meetings with Nairobi pastors for over a month. Good times to seek direction together and pray for our city. And to encourage every church to participate in caring for the displaced and to build networks of peace with other churches across our city…

By 4.30pm, you could feel the energy in the place and there were already several hundred people gathered in the hot sun. The meeting finally began at 5pm with music by several artistes. There were around 5000 seats put out and they were soon almost all taken. After an amazing time of worship led by a team from various churches, what followed was an incredible time of prayer for our nation (I know, I’m running out of superlatives for these prayer times). We finally ended at 7.30 and it was amazing that despite the time and outdoor venue, very few people left till the end. It was one of those meetings where it was almost impossible to tear yourself away.

The evening ended with a charge to churches to work together. And a commissioning of the Msafara 300 as they head West across the rest of the country

Msafara at the Coast

2008-03-12T05:18:00.003+03:00

It began last Friday night (7^th) when a team of 300 headed East to Mombasa after a commissioning during the First Friday worship service (thanks First Friday team!). Off course as expected, there was enough spiritual resistance to the team getting there, with two of the five buses breaking down during various points of the journey, resulting in the team arriving in Mombasa at 9am Saturday (instead of 5am)! But this team was determined to do what had brought them this far…

That Saturday morning, we had an intense prayer session with the around 200 Mombasa pastors that showed up to receive us. The main thrust of the time was a message of unity. John 17 says that unity in the church, along tribal, social, political, gender and all other lines, clears the world’s ability to see & understand the ultimate Truth (Jn.17:21).

This is part of why I’m so passionate about Msafara. There is a church in every single part of this nation. And I believe that as church leaders from different tribes learn to stand together and refuse to let the church be divided, the church will be released to be the glue and hope for our nation that it was created to be.

I won't go into all that happened ~ suffice to say that as the pastors repented of disunity and pledged to work together in unity, it was clear that God was in the room and that some incredible things were happening in the spiritual realm. That afternoon then we did a prayer march around Mombasa. It was amazing to see the hundreds of Christians march through the streets with banners proclaiming hope for Mombasa. We stopped to pray at various important areas in town. The next morning we all attended different churches. Then in the afternoon we met for what proved to be the climax of our time at the Coast.

As the thousands who gathered at Mombasa Pentecostal Church representing many different churches prayed for Mombasa, the sense of unity was palpable. In Matthew 18:18-20, Jesus tells his followers,

‘Whatever you bind on earth will bebound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will beloosed in heaven. Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.’

It became clear at to everyone during that meeting that God is going to do some incredible things in Mombasa as a result of our prayer.

Words feel inadequate to express what we experienced together in Mombasa.

On The Road

2008-03-12T05:04:00.002+03:00

Oh my, what an amazing time we’ve had so far! Halfway across the country already and seen God doing some incredible things… Of course that explains why I’ve been offline. Early mornings and late nights with almost non-stop action in between! (For those who’ve not been keeping up with what I’m talking about, see www.msafara.co.ke). I have to say though, that God has provided a supernatural source of strength to keep the 300 going. So far, the Msafara has met all my expectations and then some!

Got to say, the giving has been awesome! Many individuals and companies have donated gift packs and other supplies. Many churches have given remarkably. One, Lighthouse Church gave over 600,000 shillings for packs while the Kenya Assemblies of God, through their bishop donated 6 tones of bottled water that we've really enjoyed (by the way, you need to try the brand 'Milimani'; is the best tasting bottled water I've tasted so far).

I just mention those to give you a picture of the scope of giving - many others have given just as generously. and not demanded any credit for it.

I'm learning the truth of the saying, 'its amazing how much people can get done when nobody cares who gets the credit'

One small step for Anan...

2008-02-29T15:18:00.000+03:00

One small step for Anan, one giant leap for Kenya! Well, mostly...

Amazingly encouraging news from yesterday… Many celebrated when they heard that miraculously, the ‘National Accord and Reconciliation Act’ had finally been signed. And it was truly a momentous announcement indeed. Few thought it would happen so soon or so relatively painlessly. But looking at the preliminary nature of the ‘National Accord and Reconciliation Act’ signed by our ‘primaries’, it’s clear that the signing of this document is just one small step; the first of a long journey.

And by all means so let’s celebrate. But let’s remember that we have miles to go before justice can truly be said to be our shield and defender. May God give us the courage to do as a nation and as individuals all we need to do, to ensure that we dwell in unity, peace and liberty, and that plenty will truly be found within our borders.

Living In Uncertain Times

2008-02-29T15:09:00.003+03:00

The following are my favorite phobias from website www://phobialist.com that lists hundreds of phobias (editorial comments mine)

Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth
Dentophobia- Fear of dentists [hmmm… getting close]
Didaskaleinophobia- Fear of going to school [I think I used to have that one!]
Glossophobia- Fear of speaking in public [naah…]
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia- Fear of long words [I just got that one!]
Isolophobia- Fear of solitude, being alone [I thought that just came from being sanguine!]
Kathisophobia- Fear of sitting down [that too!]
Lachanophobia- Fear of vegetables [yep, I tried to tell mom I was really sick!]
Mageirocophobia- Fear of cooking [you know, I still get that one once in a while]
Novercaphobia- Fear of your step-mother [nah, I’m one of those blessed men that has a great mom-in-law!]

Okay, I know... People have issues! But the last couple of months will probably go down in our recent history as the most fearful and anxious most Kenyans have ever experienced. Fear destroys our relationships, lowers our productivity and causes us to loose focus on the things that really count. Apart from those hard to pronounce phobias, there are also the deeper rooted fears that affect our life plans and limit what we can be. How can we learn to live confidently in such uncertain times? Here are 5 helpful P’s for when you're petrified…

1. Pinpoint – the place to begin is to acknowledge the fears that affect us. There are those we’re already aware of and perhaps also those we don’t even see and yet affect us greatly. For the latter, we might begin by praying, ‘search me O God and know my heart; see if there’s any anxious way in me’ (Psalm 139:23)

2. Ponder - think through the last few times you were driven by that fear. How did you react? How would you have reacted if you knew Jesus was physically present with you? His promise is ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’

3. Pray - begin to pray daily about those fears. That’s why Jesus taught us to pray ‘deliver from evil’. Specifically ask God each day to help you overcome the fears that affect you.

4. Prioritize - learning about God – search His word for scriptures you can memorize about your particular situation. God’s word is something we can hold on to no matter how tough our situation becomes.

5. Practice – Practice God’s presence daily as you face your fears. Remember His promises. One of my favorite is ‘the Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid; what can man do to me?’ (Hebrews 13:6)

Hope In Naivasha

2008-02-26T07:30:00.005+03:00

An encouraging story from Naivasha. A week ago, I was privileged to be among a small group of pastors from Nairobi who visited one of my favorite places in Kenya. Our mission: to meet representatives from the different pastor's fellowships in order to share the vision of Msafara (www.msafara.co.ke). Rather late in the day, we realized it was the first joint pastor's meeting since the violence in that town. Twist! The divisions that had happened there had not spared the church, and there was much tension even among the pastors present.

Feeling very inadequate, we challenged those at the meeting to put aside their differences and to work together to take back their city from anarchy. At some point, it seemed we were wasting time - such was the suspicion in the room; I imagine from the pain & injustice many of them had experienced. But then the miracle took place before our eyes; genuine confession and repentance took place among the pastors, and a commitment to work together was made. This last Sunday, most of the churches in town joined in a peace march to pray over their town.

Well, just spoke to one of the pastors. He tells me it went amazingly well. Of all the good things he described, the most amazing to me was; people at the event started to confess about the stuff they stole during the fracas and to ask where they could return it to! The pastors have designated one of the churches in town as a collection center for stolen goods to be returned.

There is hope in Naivasha!

Msafara - How Can I Get Involved?

2008-02-25T06:54:00.002+03:00

Give - You could contribute care packs for the Internally Displaced. A care pack is a bag with some helpful toiletries for the displaced. Each gift pack will costs approximately 600/= to put together. You can mobilize your friends to give 10, 50, or a 100 care packs. Or like one of my friends did, you can get your company to donate 10,000! We are looking for 100,000 packs to give to fellow Kenyans who are displaced from their homes (see http://msafara.co.ke/reliefpacks.html for details on what a pack looks like).

Pray - If we ever needed to pray as Kenyans, this is the time! You can plan to attend the National Night of Prayer, this Friday (29^th Feb), at the appointed location nearest you (see last post). Following this is the National Week of Fasting from Feb 30^th – Mar 7^th during which we are encouraging all Christians to fast & pray for Kenya. The fast can be a full-day fast, a 3 day fast, or a total weeklong fast. If you live in one of the 5 towns Msafara will be visiting, please plan to join the prayer gatherings. For example, Nairobi’s prayer gathering will take place on Monday 10^th March at the KICC grounds. The target is to raise up 1,000,000 people to pray nationwide.

Come - At each stop, volunteers will spend a day caring for, crying with and helping the internally displaced people. They will distribute gift packs, bless and pray for the hurting. During the prayer gatherings, they will be on standby to help where needed and also to pray with believers from other towns. So sign up and come! The target is to raise 200 volunteers and 100 pastors to go on the road trip together (see http://msafara.co.ke/wasafiridelegateform.html for details).

Msafara – 10 days to go

2008-02-25T06:45:00.001+03:00

Thanks to the many who are supporting the initiative. There are around 40 full-time volunteers at the secretariat’s headquarters, at Nairobi Baptist Church. Different NGO’s and corporations have come on board to help assist with sponsorship. For example, UNICEF has pledged 5M worth of care packs and GTZ has pledged 2M towards the humanitarian effort. UUNET has donated two months internet access to the secretariat while World Relief has donated 1000 L worth of diesel! Many of these gifts have come through as different individuals have taken the initiative to bring the organizations they work for on board. Perhaps you can do the same? We still need as much help as we can get and every little bit counts!

Msafara Website

2008-02-25T06:29:00.002+03:00

The Msafara initiative continues to gather momentum. Check out the new website www.msafara.co.ke to learn more about how you can be involved.

Many churches across Kenya have signed on to Msafara and many more are signing on! Churches involved so far come from Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Naivasha, Thika and Voi. In some places, churches are even conducting ‘mini-msafaras’! Yesterday for instance, churches in Naivasha held a joint peace march around town. A great beginning for an urban center that was greatly affected by the violence.

In addition, countless churches across the country will be engaging in a joint night of prayer on this Friday (Feb 29^th). Churches in Nairobi that will be hosting the prayers include International Christian Center, NPC Central, NPC BuruBuru, Good Shepherd Church, Solution Center, All Saints Cathedral, Nairobi Mission Church and Deliverance Church Umoja. We even have a church in Daresalaam joining us in prayer that night (see www.fota.or.tz)!

All this is extremely encouraging. Most of us in Nairobi don’t realize just how polarized the country is, especially in places like the Rift Valley. In areas where militias rule and fear is the order of the day, the Kofi Anann mediation only addresses a tip of the ice-berg. As I have traveled to some of these towns, I have become even more convinced about how urgently we need to mobilize the church to do the work of peace-building and care if we would want to see our beloved nation whole again.

So, why Kenya?

2008-02-17T08:26:00.000+03:00

Even George Bush is sending Condi Rice here to - in the words of the NTV anchor last night - continue the ‘carrot and stick approach’ of the international community. He even knows exactly what we need, a ‘power sharing arrangement’.

So why Kenya? Why all this international attention? What makes us merit the kind of attention from Western countries that we are receiving? What makes us worthy of Kofi Anan’s undivided and fully paid for attention for ‘as long as it takes?’

Is it our GDP? 12B USD a year is negligible (in comparison, 5 US banks wrote of 100B USD recently during the sub-prime mortgage crisis).

Is it our population? 30 million is not even 5% of Africa’s population. Is it our wildlife? TZ has more. Is it our natural resources? We haven’t discovered oil like Sudan and Uganda. We don’t have reserves of natural gas like Tanzania. We don’t have the rich mineral reserves of DRC.

Is it because we are such warm people? Is it because they just like us so much?

How quickly we forget the lessons of Africa’s history? That the West has few interests except itself?

When will we stop fighting each other long enough to ask ourselves why?

Sorry Day

2008-02-16T09:28:00.006+03:00

On Wednesday, an amazing event happened in Australia, Sorry Day. Kevin Rudd the newly elected Prime Minister officially apologized on live television to the Aboriginal people of Australia for a dark era in their history, when discrimination against them was institutionalized.

For example, the so called ‘stolen generation’ resulted from the legally sanctioned forced removal of children of mixed parentage (white & Aboriginal) from their homes, after which they were handed to white families to raise. This practice, that stopped only 35 years ago, resulted in heartbreaking trauma, loss of language and cultural identity, mental & emotional breakdowns etc. The humble and sincere address, without excuses was something that previous governments have failed to do. It was accompanied by a pledge to work harder for the betterment of the aboriginal population and an appeal to all Australians to work together for the good of their nation.

(for more on Sorry Day, see - www.abc.net.au/perth/stories/s2161838.htm)

Sorry day… sounds like something we’ll need down the road around these parts.

So who’s the real enemy?

2008-02-14T07:26:00.002+03:00

Who’s the perpetrator and who's the victim? Is it the Kikuyus, the Luos, the Kalenjins, the rest of the country, PNU, ODM? You can almost predict the answer depending on who’s talking or blogging. As I’ve listened to stories from all over the country though, I’ve come to see how biased we (including myself) all are, and how we tend to gravitate towards news that confirms our biases and to shut out news that confronts them.

Unfortunately, the longer we take to start building bridges towards one another, the harder it will be to ever heal and become one nation. I believe it was Mahatma Ghandhi who said ‘if we all practice an eye for an eye, the whole world will soon be blind’. At some point, someone is going to have to decide to stop the vicious cycle.

It’s only when we come to realize how biased we really are that we can develop the humility to listen empathetically to the other side. To recognize they too are human and have a valid opinion. And to realize that as Kenyans, we’re like a married couple; if you win, we both lose. How can we come to the place where we learn to strengthen those areas where we agree, to dialogue over those we don’t, and to respectfully agree to disagree over the things we’ll never see eye to eye on? If we're wait for the politicians to lead us, we might as well begin to prepare for Kenya’s funeral.

Polarization exists right now in our offices, neighborhoods and even in cyberspace. You can choose to remain part of the problem, or you can decide to be part of the solution.

In the words of a famous prayer, ‘Lord grant me the serenity to accept those things I cannot change, the courage to change those things I must change, and the wisdom to know the difference’

The real enemy is within!

Msafara - We sure need hope!

2008-02-13T06:47:00.008+03:00

One of the amazing untold stories in these last few weeks has been the response of the church nationally to the present crisis. Many churches have given tremendously through their people and resources towards the work of looking after the displaced. In some of the worst hit areas, small congregations have labored to shelter and provide for those without. Every day I hear new stories of valor, such as that of the pastor in Eldoret who’s hosting 25 orphans & lost children from different tribes in his small house and sharing all he has with them.

An exciting initiative that’s been recently launched is ‘Msafara – Wheels of Hope’. Msafara means ‘convoy’. The vision of Msafara is to lead 300 pastors and Christians from different churches in Kenya to 5 major towns over 10 days on a mission to unify churches, conduct large scale healing/reconciliation ceremonies and distribute humanitarian supplies.

Msafara is seeking to raise 100,000 hygiene kits to distribute to the displaced across the country. What’s a hygiene kit? Thought you’d never ask! See the list below. If you are able to put together one (or a thousand), please drop it/them at the Nairobi Baptist Church, where the secretariat is housed. Or if you work in downtown Nairobi, you could leave it at the Memorial Park, which is the downtown collection center.

You can contact the Msafara secretariat on 0733-678311, 0722-219330 or info@msafara.co.ke

****

Women’s kit (approx. 800/-)
Bathing Soap (large)
Tooth paste (50ml)
Toothbrush
Slippers
Sanitary towels (2 packets)
Kangas (2)
Whole Bar Soap
Plastic Afro Comb
Petroleum Jelly

Men’s kit (approx. 400/-)
Bathing Soap (large)
Tooth paste (50ml)
Toothbrush
Slippers
Whole Bar Soap
Plastic Afro Comb
Petroleum Jelly Jar

Children’s kit (approx. 400/-)
Bathing Soap (large)
Tooth paste (50ml)
Toothbrush
Slippers
Whole Bar Soap
Plastic Afro Comb
Exercise book
Pencils (2)
Rubber
Petroleum Jelly Jar

edit - there's been a update on the composition of the kits.

Kenyan Heroes – Hotel Bogoria?*

2008-02-07T10:55:00.000+03:00

William Kimosop is a KWS Warden stationed in the Bogoria area. In January after the violence broke loose, he helped 865 people of all ethnic groups from the Solai area that were hiding in a ravine. Unable to report to the police or army for fear of compromised officers in both forces, he single handedly hid and protected the group, and managed to send out an appeal for help. The situation was desperate as there was no food and water; several babies were even born to women among the group. A truck from the Red Cross finally reached the group on Feb 1^st. time.

William managed to get all the 865 people out of the ravine to a safer location, with the help of his government pickup truck and a few donkeys. He continued to be involved afterwards in connecting separated families.

If this is a true story, then there truly are heroes who walk among us!

I found this one on a Kenyan blog (ushahidi.com). Can’t vouch for it’s veracity but it makes for an inspiring read!

Kenyan Heroes – Fearless Hospitality

2008-02-05T07:05:00.000+03:00

During the chaos that has engulfed much of the country, Pastor Ngari’s church has provided their compound to host around 230 internally displaced people, mostly from the Rift Valley. With help from many concerned Nairobians, they have provided each family with a tent, provided food, toiletries, medicine and clothes, and turned their main church hall into a classroom where volunteer teachers give lessons daily to the numerous children. Several media stations have featured this courageous and engaged pastor.

A less known story about him though. Last week, there were many ominous rumblings from many of the areas outlying the capital city, which have a high Kikuyu population. Leaflets were found in many areas, purportedly from vigilante group Mungiki, with threats for non-Kikuyus to leave the area. This was followed by a mass exodus by many into nearby police stations and chief’s camps. Pst. Ngari realized that he needed to take action.

With the help of a friend, he mobilized a group of pastors of Kikuyu origin from some of these areas. His challenge to them… it would be tragic if they allowed their communities to become guilty of bloodshed. The pastors took the message to heart and mobilized fifty fellow pastors, challenging them to commit to become peace-makers in their communities and to protect all minority groups. Many of them have been actively working on a counter-propaganda campaign, challenging young men in their areas to resist outside influences that seek to divide their harmonious communities.

Oh that many others would follow this pastor’s lead.

Truly, there are heroes who walk among us!

Kenyan Heroes – When Leaders Lead*

2008-02-04T10:47:00.000+03:00

Kimani was born and brought up in Lugari, near Eldoret, an area mostly inhabited by the Luhya and Kalenjin people. Kimani grew up speaking both Luhya and Kalenjin, and only learnt Kikuyu in college! After the major eruption of violence on Dec 30, his mother’s two buildings including the granary with the year’s produce was burned and her 8 cattle and 20 goats stolen. This act of terror was carried out by neighbors whom she had lived with harmoniously for 42 years.

Their local member of parliament, Cyrus Jirongo however decided to give leadership to his constituents. He put away his limousine and rode a bicycle to every village speaking to the people and showing them the folly of what they had done. They took the cue! They invited back mama Kimani (as well as others who had been chased away). Different members of the community, in remorse and as a sign of their repentance, took from their own produce and animals and restored what the she had lost!

We need more such actions from our leaders! Pray for an event in Nairobi on 9^th Feb where a Christian organization is bringing together 200 key leaders from across the political divide to commit to healing and re-building Kenya.

In Kimani’s words, ‘my mother is now overwhelmed by the kindness of the people she has lived with for 42 years. On a phone call to her this morning she told me that she wants to live the rest of her life with them and express her gratitude to this community where love and sacrifice for each others sake has always been the way of life’

Many politicians have spoken about peace and reconciliation. Kudos to a man who chose to lead instead of talk…

Truly, there are heroes who walk among us!

*As narrated by two different sources, one who knows the MP and the other who knows Kimani…

Kenyan Heroes – Joy’s Journey

2008-02-02T16:03:00.000+03:00

I want to share a few great stories that have recently come my way...

........................

Like all middle class Nairobians, Joy (32) was troubled by what was going on in her nation. But unlike most of us, she found it impossible to take shelter in her house and watch the nation burn on TV.

Around the 10^th of January, we heard with horror about the church that had been burnt with almost 200 Kenyans in it. Joy and three other friends could take it no more, and they hurriedly filled two cars with supplies, attached makeshift flags & stickers to disguise themselves as Red Cross workers, and drove off into some of the worst areas affected by the violence!

The next few days will forever be etched in their minds. Along the way, they met with groups of armed young men, many of whom had participated in the atrocities. They also had a chance to help the soldiers who were working to dismantle the roadblocks (!) They prayed with and comforted villagers who had been evicted from their villages, and watched with some as their homes burnt down. They shared all they had, until all that was left was their empathy and prayer. Joy talks of hugging crying people, sitting silently by their side, crying with them…

Incredibly, they found themselves at the smoldering ruins of the church that had been burnt. As they stood looking at the white ashes, they met a young man, Stephen, the son of the woman in the wheelchair. He had discovered about his mother’s death along with the rest of us when we watched the story on national TV. This was the first time he had made it to the church. The charred wheelchair was easily visible among the ashes. Stephen was clearly dazed. It was people he knew who had done this to his mother. Joy and her friends once more gave all they had – they hugged and mourned with him, prayed for him…

I heard from Joy about many brave pastors… of tiny, unknown churches on the ground… who chose not to flee even when they could. Not as long as there were people who needed to be cared for.

Despite all the fear and danger, not a hand was laid on any of the team members, and they returned safely to Nairobi, having been to the epicenter of the violence, including Eldoret.

Most of us by now would have felt we’d played our part but not Joy. She then helped organize a team from several churches and mission organizations together and once more led them into great danger, as they delivered a truckload of food and clothes to displaced people’s in Burnt Forest. On the way, their convoy was stoned at least once. When they got their, they spent time with the people and also organized a multi-denominational church service, where people for the first time were able to process what they had gone through. Many of them committed to not continuing the cycle of violence…

Truly, there are heroes who walk among us!

My New Tribe

2008-01-31T09:27:00.001+03:00

All the stuff that’s going on is causing those of us who didn’t often think about what tribe they come from to give it a long, hard think.

All of a sudden, we’re reading the name at the bottom of the article to guess what perspective the person is writing from. Or we’re having to think about the politically correct thing to say when we’re with old friends from a different tribe. It feels like a loss of innocence –like what Adam & Eve may have felt after tasting the forbidden fruit.

Pastor Oscar of Nairobi Chapel recently preached a great sermon about the bible’s perspective on tribes & tribalism. Let me try and put what I think he said in my own words...

Genesis 11 tells us that God formed languages with the intention of scattering a rebellious humanity across the earth. This was God’s way of putting boundaries around & limiting the global spread of evil. Different groupings formed, united by common language, location and culture.

In the next chapter, we see God picking one tribe, almost at random, for the express purpose of blessing the rest. Thus a model was born where the blessings of one grouping were shown to have been intended for the benefit of the rest.

What are tribes for? To limit evil and to add blessing to all!

God’s people often misunderstood this and thought the blessings of their tribe were theirs by right, to benefit only ‘their people’. The story of Jonah is all about tribalism. In sending Jesus though, God made it possible for deep reconciliation to happen between ethnic groups; by the creation of a new ‘super-tribe’ that represents Him on earth!

‘For Christ himself has made peace between us Jews and you Gentiles by making us all one people. He has broken down the wall of hostility that used to separate us… His purpose was to make peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new person from the two groups. ¹⁶ Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death, and our hostility toward each other was put to death’. Eph.2:14-16

What this means is that for Christians, our tribe is the tribe of Jesus! And this multi-racial, multi-ethnic ‘tribe’ celebrates and benefits from the strengths that come from their different backgrounds.

As the church in Kenya, we need to embrace the excellence and educational aptitude that those who come from a Luo background bring. And appreciate the spiritual sensitivity those from a Kamba background contribute. And benefit from the entrepreneurial mindset those from a Kikuyu background add. And rejoice in the loyalty that those from a Luhya background model. And so on… ad-infinitum! Our diversity is not something to shun or avoid, but to welcome and cheer.

Of course just as with individuals, for every strength there is a shadow side. We need to confess and take responsibility for those things that have been done by those from our tribe (even if we had nothing to do with it ourselves). And then we need to learn to ‘positively stereotype’ those groups that exist in our churches – appreciating the strengths they add.

Together as the new tribe of Jesus, we have much to offer our land.

The Role Of The Middle Class

2008-01-29T18:01:00.000+03:00

Just read a fascinating article by Dr. G. Ogola of the University of Central Lancashire in Monday’s ‘Business Daily’ – a rather depressing newspaper for me nowadays (which only proves his point!)

Anyway, he addressed the role of the middle class in the current issues facing our country. He makes several interesting observations…

§ There is a serious disconnect between Kenya’s emerging urban middle class and the urban poor/rural peasantry.

§ The former was created through the very process that simultaneously alienated the latter

§ The former perceives power as manifest in our institutional structures and these structures give them a sense of protection. The latter see these very structures as responsible for their plight and incapable of representing their interests. Power for them is manifest in big cars and farms, and in the ethnic identity of the owners of these big cars and farms.

§ The two groups perceive nationhood very differently. The former exalts loudly its Kenyanness, oblivious to the fact that the notion of Kenyanness has now become tenuous! The latter conceives their nationhood as residing in their ethnic identities

§ The Kenyan middle class is an ‘aspirational’ class, whose status is not based on owning property as in Western countries but on skills and jobs. They are thus very threatened by an unstable society and government and will be the first to call for peace and want to get on with their lives.

A great quote - ‘exalting our nationhood to the urban poor and rural peasantry is unlikely to solve the Kenyan crisis precisely because we relate to the nation state very differently (!)’ Ouch!

The Prof argues however that though the middle class is still small and lacks critical mass, it still has the potential to define national agenda. They (we) must engage more actively with this crisis, and refuse to be simply consumers that support the political and economic elites.

I heartily agree!

Is There Hope?

2008-01-29T17:59:00.000+03:00

There are many important aspects of the gospel that the early missionaries did not teach us. How does the bible address inequitable distribution of resources & economic opportunities? How about nationhood and traditional tribal animosity? What do you do when gross violations have been effected against your people by another? And no wonder… these were not pertinent questions from the missionary’s standpoint. In addition, many missionaries were often unwilling to address or were simply unaware of social and political issues and focused on the ‘spiritual’ realm.

As a result, we have few answers to the issues that threaten to subsume our continent – Rwanda, DRC, Burundi, Sudan… even so called ‘stable’ countries like SA have lots of simmering issues lingering just below the surface. Ignoring the issue for years as we have in Kenya does not make them go away. Political solutions merely lead to a sharing of power among the elite, and a postponement of ‘tribal clashes’ for another time. Meanwhile, the West wonders in amazement at the savagery and hatred of these Africans, unaware of their own nation’s historic and ongoing contribution to the fuel that fans the flames. I say this in no way to blame… it’s a little late for that!

Is there hope for Africa? I believe it with all my heart. But it will take much more than political solutions to save us. It will take God’s people everywhere being ‘transformed by the renewing of (their) mind’ (Rom.12) by God’s word. The western theology taught in our bible colleges ignores issues fundamental to us. Western TV programs propagate an alien Christianity that is at best harmless and perhaps even dangerously mind-numbing. We need to go back to God’s word, read it as Africans, and discover that yes indeed, it does have much to say about the issues that we in this part of the world find ourselves faced with.

Walking Our Talk

2008-01-22T07:36:00.000+03:00

It's been said that character is 'who you are when no-one's looking'. If that's the case, what do the conversations we've had these last couple of weeks about the crisis our country is in with people who are 'like us' reveal about us?

It's easy in times of crisis to revert to our most basic, self-protective self. When Kenyans are abroad, they cling their identity as Kenyans. At home surrounded by other Kenyans though, our 'safe zone' narrows down to our tribal identity. As a result, we live in virtual ghettos, filtering out other perspectives, and listening to 'news' that only serves to validate our perspective.

It's sad that media houses seem to have taken positions on the issues so that 'truth' has become relative. It's sadder to hear of offices and neighborhoods where a once easy camaraderie has been replaced by unspoken tension. It's saddest to hear of churches & pastors that have supported one particular political or ethnic position and thus alienated others who are of a different background or persuasion. What a missed opportunity to model true Christianity!

It's time we began to practice what we preach. As a Christian, I am first of all Christian, then Kenyan and then as a distant third, I gladly embrace the positive aspects of my ethnic identity (and enjoy/appreciate those of other ethnic communities as well!).

A Time To Build Bridges

2008-01-10T04:35:00.000+03:00

How can Kenyans avoid becoming mere bystanders in the unfolding national drama? Behind every challenge is an opportunity. Behind the challenges facing our nation, I see the opportunity for us to become...

1. Bridge-builders: I'm part of a generation that has grown up surrounded by friends from other tribes. Most of my friends married with no regard to their spouses ethnicity. Yet this last week has destroyed a generation's innocence and has polarized the closest of friends (I've been prayin' for inter-tribal marriages!) When threatened, we tend to withdraw to what’s safe e.g. our parents, even when they have a tribal mindset. This is the time to reach out to our friends from other tribes and assure them of our continued love and friendship. It's a time to learn to be sensitive with our words/language. Perhaps we'll even become deeper friends for it!

2. Wall-breakers: Whatever our position in society, we have our part to play in breaking the dividing walls. We need to refuse the polarization and stereotyping. We need to confess our own deep rooted suspicion of other tribes. We need to begin learning to focus on and highlight their good attributes. We need to refuse to isolate ourselves (hanging with friends who are just like us) or to fight others (e.g. listening to and spreading rumors and malicious sms'). We need to refuse to encourage ethnocentric conversations in our homes - for most of us, the people we look up to and respect the most are the ones that we may have to correct. Perhaps this will help us move beyond superficial peace to real unity as a nation!

3. Door-openers: We need to leave our middle-class comfort zones and radically identify with the poor. This goes beyond charity and handouts to sacrificial living. Open up an extra room for a displaced family or help a child escape poverty by supporting their education. Give up your weekends to provide skill training at a children's home. We need to realize that our position is a privilege, and that we are blessed to be a blessing. May this situation result in a more just and equitable society!

I pray that one day, people will say Kenya actually become a better place to live because of this crisis. Perhaps we'll be able to say then what the biblical Joseph said about a dark season of his life; 'what the evil one intended for harm, God worked out for our good, and for the good of our nation'

Justice, Mercy, Humility...

2008-01-09T12:41:00.001+03:00

It's been impossible for me to blog my thoughts about the last few weeks. Part of the problem is that I haven't known where to start, or what to say. The other part was that most of my immediate family members were trapped in a volatile part of the country - lying low, scared for their lives. I've experienced a helplessness these last few days that was no doubt shared by many Kenyans, a fact that made it no easier to bear. I am extremely grateful that they (my family members that is) are all well; escorted by armed policemen to safety on Friday last.

What a polarized situation we find ourselves in! It's reached the point now where one side of the country is calling for peace and the other side for justice - as if the two can be separated. Even the church has not been spared this polarization. Many church leaders have condemned the segment of the church that seems to be calling for peace at all costs. And others have expressed uneasiness about the segment that seems to believe that justice is the ultimate goal, collateral damage notwithstanding.

I've lost count of the number of conversations I've had with friends from either side of the political divide, who believe their perspective is the only one that is justified.

To loosely quote Nobel Laureate Wangari Mathai, if ever there was a time for greatness, that time is now! As Christians, we must be on the forefront of pushing for peace and justice. We must practice humbly listening and empathizing with those who take the other view. We must rise above pointing fingers, and learn to carry our own responsibility. And we must stop thinking that Kibaki & Raila are the only players in this drama - God will not hold us accountable for their actions but for our own, or lack thereof.

The bible says it well in Micah 6:8, 'He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God'

One Country... One People

2007-12-11T08:49:00.000+03:00

My favorite human rights activist/future presidential candidate is getting married tomorrow! He recently sent me an article he wrote on the State of our nation that I'd like to reproduce here verbatim. No need re-inventing the wheel when he says it so much better than I ever could! (Njonjo, this sounds like your inaugural speech... enough said!)

ONE COUNTRY, MANY NATIONS…

A Reflection on the Eve of the 10^th General Election

By NJONJO MUE (Advocate)

Geologists tell us that the earth’s crust is made up of several tectonic plates joined together at fault lines far beneath the surface of the earth. Sometimes when pressure builds up, the tectonic plates move against one another causing earthquakes on the surface that can cause great loss of life and damage to property. Our nationhood is also made up of several socio-economic tectonic plates which tend to be covered by a veneer of unity.

Kenya as a country is very young only dating back to 1920 when the British declared it a colony and attempted to administer disparate mini-nations (tribes) as one entity. Their endeavour to create one country was however not helped by the fact that the colonists used divide and rule tactics to foment hostility between the African peoples in order to further entrench colonial rule.

Today, negative ethnicity remains the greatest threat to our efforts to create one united country out of many nations. Politicians, lacking ideas as to how to inspire the people, often resort to the lowest common denominator and mobilize support on the basis of blood ties. “It is our turn to eat” has become the political mantra of the ideologically lazy.

While negative ethnicity is our country’s original sin, another reality has recently started to insinuate itself on the edges of our national consciousness. This is the sad reality of social and economic inequality. Kenya is one of the most unequal countries in the world where the top 10% of the population control close to 50% of the country’s wealth while the bottom 10% control less than 1%. Half our population subsists on less than KShs. 100 a day, while some people drive around in vehicles worth Kshs. 17 million!!

This inequality of opportunities has placed near-permanent barriers that lock large sections of our population in an inescapable poverty trap – the poor cannot properly feed their children, which interferes with their development; nor can they afford quality education for them, which locks them out of the job market or confines them to lowly paid blue collar jobs, and the cycle continues.

The crust of Kenya’s nationhood also consists of the tectonic plates of gender and age. While women make up more than half of our population, they remain largely marginalized and under-represented in all forums of decision-making. In the 9^th Parliament, there were 18 women legislators out of 222 of whom only 9 were elected. Women bear the brunt of poverty, domestic violence, social exclusion and other forms of injustice. We have confined half of our people to the margins of society.

When it comes to the youth, while Kenya is a very young country with close to 75% of the population under the age of 35, young people are yet to take their place on the stage of human endeavour. The youth are spearheading a renaissance on the cultural and arts scenes but their full impact is yet to be felt in influencing the socio-political direction of the country. A casual observation of the recently concluded election nominations reveal that with regard to our politics, the old is refusing to die while the new cannot yet be born.

Kenya is a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-religious society. Creating one country out of many nations was never going to be easy. We stand at the crossroads and we have important choices to make. The tectonic plates make up a rich diversity that, if managed creatively, justly and equitably could make us strong. But if exploited to divide and alienate, pressure will inevitably build up between the cracks and cause destructive earthquakes on the surface, which could wipe out the gains we have achieved over the last four and a half decades of independence.

MANY NATIONS, ONE PEOPLE…

In spite of the challenges facing us, or perhaps because of them, we as a nation must continue in the effort to build a society that upholds human dignity and justice for all. The tectonic plates that divide us will form the ingredients out of which we shall build the beloved community.

Our diverse ethnic groups are a gift from God out of which we can create a beautiful mosaic as we learn from one another’s strengths and make up for each other’s weaknesses. We shall find our strength in our unity in diversity. The challenge of gender inequality can be overcome when we uphold in our daily lives the biblical truth that both men and women are created equal in worth in the image of God, and each gender has a unique contribution to make on our journey to true nationhood.

The challenge of inequality is not insurmountable either. With selfless and creative planning we can put in place the policies that are necessary to raise the standard of living for all our people and work for the day when no child will have to go to bed on an empty stomach. For as Martin Luther King Jr. once poignantly reminded us, there is enough for all our needs, but not for all our greeds.

Likewise, the great age divide can be bridged when we recognize that progress is not made up of the new replacing the old, but the old and the young working together for the good of the nation. We shall continue to value the wisdom and the experience of the old, but they must recognize that whatever their past achievements, there is no success without a successor. They must therefore prepare a new generation of leaders in all sectors to take the Kenyan dream forward after they have called it a day.

As we negotiate the treacherous curves on the path to true nationhood, we as the Church have a historical role to play in modeling a truly caring, compassionate and united community and in shining a light in the dark corners of our society that are currently inhabited by the ghosts of tribalism, inequality, crime, violence and other forms of injustice.

The Other Side...

2007-12-11T08:41:00.000+03:00

Genesis 1:27 ‘Go created human beings; he created them godlike, reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and female’

There’s a lot in the media right now about women in leadership, especially in light of our upcoming national elections. Many agree that there has been a dearth of women in Kenya’s political history, given that women make up over 50% of our populace. Opinions are split between those clamoring for affirmative action and those who think the only change necessary is one of attitude, especially among the female electorate.

Couple that with the debate about the role of our nation’s first lady and it’s clear we’ve come a long way since Beijing! I’m glad this is a front burner issue today because women bring a different perspective to any situation. And that’s not all that surprising. Any leadership context that lacks a female (or male) perspective doesn’t represent the full potential of what it means to be human – reflecting God’s nature.

Here's hoping we have a strong woman candidate for president in 2012!

The Leaders Kenya Needs

2007-11-30T19:09:00.000+03:00

And so it’s left to the world’s greatest leader to show us an alternative to mheshimiwa-ship... Imagine the setting… He has just been welcomed to the capital city by massive crowds singing his praises. His followers are delirious…

Finally, the world has recognized their candidate’s brilliance!

Finally, they are on the threshold of forming the next government!

The lobbying is intense; over dinner that evening, there is a heated discussion among the inner circle about who will be the candidate’s running mate. The candidate refuses to take sides however. He reminds them that unlike with the surrounding political establishment, true greatness is not about dominating others and amassing titles, wealth & power. And then he does the unthinkable… He wraps a towel around his waist and washes all their feet!

With this one act, Jesus of Nazareth turned the prevailing concepts of leadership upside down. And set the foundation for all great leaders since.

Why are 2400 of our fellow citizens clamoring to be MP’s? The pressure to be a mheshimiwa is great, especially when it’s accompanied by such a nice pay package

The mheshimiwa leads by control; the mtumishi by inspiration
The mheshimiwa uses his followers; the mtumishi gives himself up for them
The mheshimiwa depends on her position; the mtumishi on her goodwill
The mheshimiwa does whatever necessary to stay in power; the mtumishi doesn’t care who gets the credit as long as the job gets done
The mheshimiwa inspires awe & fear; the mtumishi a sense of empowerment & unity
The mheshimiwa jockeys for position; the mtumishi gives up her preferences, rights and freedoms for others
People follow the mheshimiwa because they have to; people follow the mtumishi because they want to

Why lie, it’s easier to be a mheshimiwa! We are part of a selfish age, where it’s unthinkable that anyone aspiring to leadership would not be driven by selfish interest. And yet in the midst of all this, God is searching for men and women who will respond to the call of utumishi: Who will offer this utumishi in our homes, in our estate committees, in our churches, in our schools, in our businesses, in the media, in politics…

Our country doesn’t need more ‘waheshimiwa’. What Kenya desperately needs, is watumishi.

NB:

‘Mheshimiwa’ = a title of respect most often given to members of parliament that means ‘honorable’

‘Mtumishi’ - servant

Mheshimiwa-ship

2007-11-29T09:58:00.000+03:00

What is leadership? On this continent when we meet a leader, chances are that we’ll see someone bossy (most likely male), who uses his authority to bully others and get his own way; who is ruthless, cunning and self-centered; who is out to benefit himself, his family, his cronies and his tribe (in that order). He is someone important, a mheshimiwa, who grants favors to those around him in return for their loyalty. He drives a big car and acquires much wealth & property because of his position. People around him basically exist to serve him.

The interesting thing is that it’s not only our political leaders who are this way. At all levels of our society, from the top to the bottom, people with positions of responsibility or authority use them to intimidate others and to enrich themselves. Like the proverbial chicken & the egg, it's hard to know which came first: Did selfish leaders create a selfish society or did a selfish society create selfish leaders?

Scarcity Mentality

2007-11-28T08:09:00.000+03:00

This last Sunday at Mavuno, Pst. Simon preached a great message about the scarcity mentality as part of his series ‘Cleaning Out Kenya’s Closets’. It reminded me of a sad story recently narrated to me by a Congolese friend…

Three people, a European, an American, and an African were told by God to ask Him for anything they wanted. The only condition was that whatever each got, God would also give twice the amount to his fellow countrymen. The European thought for a minute and asked God for colonies all over the world. God gave it to him but gave other Europeans twice as many colonies as his own. The American on seeing this asked for business leadership and the same process happened. The African observed all this quietly. When his turn came, he asked God to cut off one of his arms… that way his armless neighbors would never get ahead of him!

Of course being African, I don’t laugh at ‘African jokes’ - but something about this one rang true. Ever since as little school-kids we hid our answers from our neighbors lest they ‘copy’ us, we’ve grown up with this mentality that the only way I can get ahead is if I keep others behind. So we tear down those who get ahead, and we think we’re ‘winning’ only if everyone else is losing. In the last political era, we learnt to speak about ‘dividing the national cake’, as if national resources are limited and whoever gets there first needs to hoard what they get, lest others finish it for them…

We live in an incredibly blessed continent where there are more than enough resources for all of us. We need to learn to work together, using what God has blessed us with to help others get ahead, multiplying the cake, and not just dividing it. We need to move from a scarcity mentality to an abundance mentality.

Loosing Focus

2007-11-21T19:32:00.000+03:00

What makes people (or organizations) lose focus on their purpose and calling? I had a fascinating discussion about this with the Mavuno dream team and they had some great thoughts...

Success – easily sidetracks people or organization
Too many good things - doing less better always results in more
Attitude- not expecting hardship and opposition
Too task oriented – forgetting that true success is always about people
Fatigue- not taking time off to replenish reserves
Focus on maintaining what worked before, rather than on purpose
Not keeping the main thing the main thing
Not clarifying wins - need to regularly ask 'what is success for me?'
Not celebrating wins - you get what you celebrate
Lack of consistency
Fear

No Room For Mediocrity

2007-11-12T00:14:00.000+03:00

Have been speaking in the US for the last six weeks. Here's a link to a talk I gave at Hudson Community Church in Ohio about purpose and calling...

http://hcc.neteamavi.net/iPod/audiocast/worship%20101407.mp3

Question: Is it possible to achieve your dreams and yet still live a mediocre life?

President For A Day

2007-11-11T01:03:00.000+03:00

If you were president, what area would you most want to change? This was a popular 'Question of the Day' at a Mavuno service a while ago. The person I spoke with eloquently expressed how he would tackle head-on the issue of poverty, and inequality in Kenya. After listening to him, I was inspired to vote for him if he should ever chose to run for president!

My own pet issue is ethnocentrism or tribalism, as we like to call it in this part of the world. While Kenyans have not hit the lows experienced in some of our neighboring countries, I'm concerned that over the last decade or so, even my own generation has began to form opinions and approach politics based not on issues but on what tribe we're from. Being in the US and seeing the paralyzing effects of the centuries old racial divide, I pray we will somehow resist the forces that threaten to divide us and work towards building a united nation. And in my own non-elected capacity, e.g. in how I bring up my kids, I want to play my part in being a unifier and not a divider.

Incidentally, I think being president must be the hardest job anyone could ever do. Everyone thinks they can do your job better than you can! People rate you not on your performance but on whether you agreed with their agenda, and you have to be a brilliant manager of conflicting interests, massager of egos, master of sound-bites and suave politician to boot! And so my real answer to the question is that I would not want to be anyone's president, not even for a day!

That said, I know there are some gifted fearless influencers out there whose God-given passion is to bring back some sanity to our political arena.

Why Churches Stagnate

2007-10-28T07:04:00.000+03:00

Had an interesting conversation with my team of musicians yesterday about why many churches that were vibrant in years past are today in decline and not even aware of it. We marveled at the power of leadership... When there’s good leadership, there’s a clear vision and everyone knows how to play their role well. Where good leadership is lacking, there is fuzzy or unclear vision, and organizations (and people) stagnate... and eventually become toxic.

So how do we spot the right leader? They need to be people of character, competence and chemistry*…

Character – defined well as ‘who you are when no one’s looking’. In this age when so many leaders actions are driven by what's popular and based on opinion polls, we need to pray for leaders who stand on principle, and who’s personal lives reflect the same values they preach in public

Competence – here I’m talking about the spiritual gift of leadership. It seems very basic to say, but churches need to be led by leaders! When churches are led by teachers, they are very intellectually informed. When led by shepherds, they are very well cared for. When led by administrators, they have fantastic systems. But for a church to be going anywhere, it needs to be led by a leader.

Chemistry – does the leader genuinely like the people she is called to lead? Does she enjoy being part of them and pray for them or merely see them as a means to an end?

Unfortunately, too many churches and organizations choose their next leader based on their seniority in the organization – rather than on whether they have these qualities!

The result – that church or organization is most likely doomed to many years of stagnation and decay...

And they might not even notice it because for a while, they'll continue with the momentum created under the previous leader. With time however, it will become increasingly clear that they are going nowhere fast.

*these 3 categories I learnt from Bill Hybels

This Is Africa... in America!

2007-10-25T21:05:00.000+03:00

For the last 3 weeks, I've been in the US visiting different churches here with a worship team from Mavuno Church. I joined them after they'd spent a week at Chapel Hill Bible Church (NC) and we've since spent a week each at The Falls Church (VA), Hudson Community Church (OH) and Grace Community Church (IN). Currently we're Elmbrook Church (WI) though this weekend we'll be at Wheaton College (IL). At the end of next week, we'll fly to California and visit several churches there before finally flying back to Kenya.

The picture that most people here have of Africa is of a starving child in a stark desert with a buzzing stomach and flies buzzing around his head. Our message to people here is that there is another side of Africa that the media doesn't show. A vibrant, hope-filled, energetic, and creative generation that God is using to turn our continent around.

A generation that is called to greatness...

I believe the time has come for the church in Africa to reach out to and be a blessing to the rest of the world.

You can check out the team's blog... www.thisisafrica.blogspot.com

6 More Urban Trends Facing Church In Africa

2007-10-19T21:54:00.001+03:00

Here are six more trends that I think the church needs to be paying attention to!

1.Increasing busyness – Urban Africans work for longer hours today than ever before. Saturdays are full working days for many, and some even work regularly on Sunday. Many people are constantly exhausted, living un-balanced and un-healthy lives. Any extra time that is left over is taken over by family obligations. The result is a reduction in availability of people for volunteering at church, and many even struggle to find time to attend. Another result of this may be a ‘hands free Christianity’, where people see their role as giving financially to support a professional clergy who do the work of ministry. Churches will need to redifine ministry beyond serving in church on Sundays, and to train members to be ‘in ministry’ at the workplace, where they spend so many hours already.

2. Increasing consumerism – Christian TV today exposes people to the view of church as a service that is offered to you, as opposed to a community to which you belong. Today, the phenomenon of ‘church hopping’ is the norm, with Christians moving from one church to the next, checking out what’s on offer and staying only as long as no one else has a better ‘show’ up the road. One of the things the church needs to do to counter this is to explore new ways to engage members in true community beyond Sunday involvement, and also to have a vision for life-discipleship that goes deeper than a new believer’s bible study.

3. Increasing nominalism – Salvation is increasingly seen and defined as a decision one makes, as opposed to the beginning of a life of transformation. Churches have also put emphasis on super-star preachers teaching from the pulpit and not as much on discipleship and follow up of believers. As a result, there are many Christians in this nation who have made several decisions to follow Christ and attend church service faithfully, but show little evidence of their in their workplaces, homes and in the public sphere.

4. Older Singles – Many more middle-class working young adults, especially women, are remaining single in their thirties and above. This is either out of choice or circumstance. The African culture traditionally tied maturity to marriage and the church has tended to follow that model. However, the successful church will seek to give dignity to single adults (after all, Jesus & Paul were single!) and not lump them with the ‘youth’. It will dignify single-hood and have single people in prominent positions of leadership. It will provide structures that allow single and married adults to form supportive family relationships. And it will need to come up with creative ministries that support single parents, who are increasing in numbers among us.

5. Irrelevance of our borrowed church models – our model of church is copied from the West including architecture, financing & leadership. It demands buildings, PA systems, full time professional ministers etc. As our cities get more crowded, it will increasingly be harder to support church buildings that sit empty most of the week. As our society fragments, pastoral needs will only increase, but financing more skilled full-time pastors will cost too much. Should the church be moving towards being led by part time volunteers who support themselves through complimentary vocations? Should our church buildings also be community facilities (e.g. gyms, shopping centers, conference centers etc) that are used by the whole community during the week?

6. 'Politicization’ of societal issues – Christians are finding themselves unwittingly taking part in debating social issues that were considered ‘unmentionable’ in the past. In the abortion debate for instance, we have seen some prominent doctors and personalities support abortion (using the political language of ‘choice’) in the media. Another is the constitutional debate on the ‘kadhi courts’, and the increasing lowering of standards in our media industry. Christians more and more feel helpless & uninformed about the issues, and thus unable to contribute usefully. Churches will need to proactively set reasoned ethical guidelines and train their congregations to live by these. They will also need to recognize that while it is important to engage in bringing positive transformation to our society, our society is far from ‘Christian’, and it will be increasingly harder to expect it to operate on Christian moral principles. We will need to know which ‘battles’ are worth fighting, and to avoid being sidetracked from our calling.

Does the church in Africa have the courage to define what needs to be done and to do it?

6 Important Urban Trends Facing Church In Africa

2007-10-19T21:41:00.000+03:00

A while back, in a monthly meeting I have with other lead pastors from the Nairobi Chapel family, we set out to outline important trends shaping our culture. Here are some of the ones I think we need to pay close attention to!

1. Assertive youth culture – the 844 culture is here! Their official language is sheng, they surf the internet daily at cybercafes, meet on facebook, sms at the speed of light & have their own local pop idols and music. They watch music videos all day on TV that our Kenyan censors would never have allowed to air 5 years ago. They have a ‘get rich quick’ mentality (their models include gansta rappers in America who made a lot of money without too much school). They are extremely bright and inquisitive, and they don’t trust the ‘system’. Very few churches are at presently ‘speaking their language’ or seeking to proactively engage them. The existing church will need to undergo not a remodeling but a revolution to reach this generation!

2. Family breakdown – there is increase in family breakdown due to dissapearing extended family support for city dwellers, as well as increasing economic pressure on the family unit. The result is that parents are away from home for longer hours. Among the middle class, children are increasingly being brought up by house-helpers, who act as ‘surrogate mothers’. The result is increasing cases of marital strife, divorce, child abuse, and delinquency. There is a crisis in parenting, with many parents feeling ill-equipped and helpless in bringing up their children to live according to the values they hold dear. The church needs to actively engage measures to offer relevant support to family life, or else it will constantly find itself counseling couples and families when it is already too late!

3. Growing isolation of a Christian subculture – There is a ‘flight’ from engaging the rest of society as Christians create a thriving Christian subculture. This is seen more and more in Christian radio, TV & newspapers, Christian schools etc. that speak to and serve an exclusively Christian clientele. While these things are not bad in and of themselves, the church needs to proactively participate in our culture in order to impact it positively, otherwise it will become increasingly irrelevant, speaking only with itself, and certainly not being the ‘light of the world’.

4. Increasing suspicion of Christianity – In the past, it was fashionable to be a Christian. Today, the secular media constantly paints Christianity as a part of the ‘status quo’, a colonial hangover that we’re all inevitably moving from. This is only bound to increase. In the future, Christians should be prepared to operate in a culture that is not friendly to their profession of faith and values, and that does not automatically understand their Christian ‘language’.

5. HIV/AIDS orphans – East Africa alone currently has a staggering 4 million AIDS orphans, a number that may double or treble in next 10 years. The implications of this are mind boggling. Governments of the three countries will be overwhelmed for a long time with issues like health care, education & street children. Should Christians be much more aggressively preparing for this by starting children’s homes, VCT centers, HIV support groups, adoption support groups and educational facilities for orphans?

6. Poverty & unemployment - Kenya’s economy has improved greatly over the last 4 years. However, it will take a long time before the economic growth ‘trickles down’ to the common mwananchi. Poverty is dehumanizing – more people steal or go into prostitution today not in a short stint to survive but as a lifestyle. Donations have been shown to do little to stop the cycle of poverty, and in many cases actually worsen the situation. Salvation limits the available modes of survival, and so it is not a good choice for many among the poor! Should churches today be much more passionately involved in engaging people in the areas of creating business opportunities and addressing the issues of poverty?

What must the church of today be doing about these trends? Suggestions are welcome.

The 8-4-4 Generation...

2007-10-19T21:27:00.000+03:00

The 4th generation is here (see article below this one)! They are the emerging generation in our churches today. What are some of their characteristics?

Born in the 1980's and 90's - in Kenya, they went through the 8-4-4 school system
They are regionally conscious but globally aware. We are witnessing the first East African generation. Many went to school with friends from across the region, or have been exposed to regional culture through EATV or radio.
Their primary language is sheng & they identify with the hip-hop culture
They are very entrepreneurial - due to lack of jobs, they were forced to become extremely creative, and to move away from the 'white-collar orientation' of the previous two generations.
They are extremely expressive and artistic (I refer to them as 'the sight and sound generation') They would rather watch it than read it!
They are the first generation where its cool to aspire to be a DJ or a dancer - as a career!

Considering that 50% of Africa is less than 15 years old, we need to be paying attention! Rather than insisting they learn our language, perhaps we should be learning theirs! Incidentally, the corporate world has figured that out, and a majority of the ads on our TV stations are aimed at this demographic. I believe how well we reach this generation will determine how successful the church will be in penetrating African culture in the next 10 or 15 years. Anybody listening?

This Aint Your Grandma's Church

2007-10-18T20:55:00.001+03:00

As I venture out into the brave new (for me) world of blogging, I wanted to begin with a topic close to my heart. You see, the fact that I grew up in church was more an evidence of God's grace (and of my parent's upbringing) than of the church's ability to attract 'people like me'. The problem, I believe, was best stated by historian Arnold Toynbee when he said that 'nothing fails like success'. The things that helped the church (or any other organization) to succeed yesterday are the very things that are causing it to fail today!

What do I mean? Let me try and explain. I believe the church in Africa (at least in my corner of it) has had at least three distinct phases...

1^st GENERATION – ‘THE CONVERTS’ born pre 1940

1^st converts in their areas (they directly encountered the early missionaries)
Ostracized or on the fringes (rejected in their culture and thus open to the new, or became rejected by their cultures for accepting the new)
Village identity but tribally aware (their sense of identity came from their village but they were aware of the larger tribe out there)
Focus of the church was on the missionaries giving care to the locals (e.g. through schools, hospitals etc)

Every good (and not so good) thing has a shelf life however. A time came when nationalist movements began to agitate for independence from Western influence, both nationally and within the church. Some breakaway churches (e.g. Legio Maria) completely rejected western ways. For much of the church, a transition to the 2nd generation had began...

2^nd GENERATION - ‘THE CONFORMERS’ born 1940-1960

1^st generation African leadership (many were educated in missionary schools)
Christianity widely accepted in the culture (people were expected to at least be church goers)
Expected to retire upcountry – even if they worked in the towns (they had a ‘dual status’, as immigrants in the city)
‘Culture abandoning’ – They picked up not just the gospel but also the missionary culture and methods…e.g.

*Prized Western ‘baptism’ names (identification with missionary culture)
*Valued Western methods of worship (e.g. classical hymns, clergy robes and choirs)

Tribal identity but nationally aware - even groups in church were (and in many of these churches still are) divided along tribal lines…..

This, incidentally, describes the church that I grew up in - my parent's generation. With time too, that became dated. As African's began to settle in towns and become truly urbanized, it was time for a new generation church to be born...

3^rd GENERATION - ‘THE ADAPTERS’ born 1960-1990

1’st true Kenyans (or Ugandans or Tanzanians etc)! Born as citizens of a nation/state and not naturalized citizens from a former colonial power like their parents. We have no memory of colonialism (e.g. in Kenya, most don’t know the difference between Madaraka & Jamuhuri Day)

Urban – Many grew up in the city which is their first (and perhaps only true) home. Those still migrating in don’t intend to return. (The 2004 Kenya Youth Survey showed that 64.8% of youth across Kenya live in or aspire to live in the city).
The paradox of ‘Neo-Africans – (we are very western BUT reaching for & proud of our African-ness e.g.

*Many (& certainly their kids) have African names but don’t speak our mother tongues
*‘African’ weddings in English (incredible 'African' décor but with only 150 people in attendance!)
*Many claim to love their nations (‘jivunia’ in Kenya) but don’t have a voter’s card
*We know more about European soccer clubs than about our own national teams!

National outlook but globally aware – (this generation went to school with people from other tribes – groupings are along social class, rather than tribe)

Our main question is 'does it make sense?' Christianity and church need to make sense to us, and because they often don't, church attendance is often reserved for weddings, holidays and special events.

THE PROBLEM
Here's the problem... Many church's in Africa are using 2nd generation methods to reach a 3rd (or even 4th) generation!

When I reflect on Jesus' stories e.g. the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son in Luke 15, I begin to wonder if this does not present a major problem. Jesus did not set out to start churches to meet our needs, but he envisioned a movement of His followers who would live lives that point people back to God. The reason we're here right now and not in heaven is so we can share His love with those who don't have it! And in the process of doing this, we ourselves are formed to become more like Him and - paradoxically - we find our own needs met!

So, maybe it's time to for the church to stop being a 'safe' place for Christians to hang out and to become configured to serve others, and especially those most in need of God's love and relationship. Or what do you think?

2007-10-18T20:50:00.001+03:00