Life like jazz!

The days gone by...

2011-12-01T00:33:00.000-08:00

I miss the old days
When mom and pops would ride off to work and the house was ours to own…
I miss the long afternoons with nothing to do and no bills to pay
The mystery of love that twirled loosely in my young heart
I miss the sincerity of the ink letters that tore my virgin emotions lose
I miss the suspense that came with thinking if she would ever notice and write back…
I miss the dark nights where I took count of the starry velvet sky
Wishing intimately to myself of the day we would ride our magic carpet up on High
I miss the times we would gather and picnics we the in thing
I miss dancing in the rain; Watering the rose flowers in our mini-garden;playing shake in the courtyard
I miss the way I would record her a cassette tape full of songs she loved..from the radio..lol!
Yeah; it was either sundowner or late date that caught my fancy
I miss her shy smile and walking her home..no cars, no gadgets ;just we
I remember the long walk would go to and fro a dozen times; who didn’t do this?
I miss stealing the kiss just outside her home then suddenly someone came opening…busted!
I miss fumbling over my words..and saying nothing but gibberish
I miss that she really sympathized and gave me a second chance..
I miss saying “” I love you..and she saying “I love you too”!Like we knew what love was..
I miss the innocence of having to buy her a penny’s worth of goody goody…
Because frankly I did not have any money and she totally loved it!
I miss watching rythmix on Friday evenings and serenade her the blues
I miss the joy of sleep overs with pals and playing cards like we didn’t have a care in the world..
I miss the long strolls at aboretum park down the sunset lane..collectin’ souvenir pebbles
I miss the rain soaked windows, candle lit hot chocolate over a romantic movie..with her
I miss the days of call box and hoping my coins would last me through the convo…
I miss looking into her eyes; promising her the sun, moon and the whole galaxy; holding her hand..Wishing forever
I wouldn’t know what became of her now but it made teenhood all the worthwhile..
I do miss these and more..But ..
Though I treasure those moments; I live for the present because I’m jazz, I’m a hopeless romantic but ‘tleast I’m a keeper!

(c) jazzkuria

Greatness cannot be locked up By John C Maxwell

2011-11-25T05:14:00.000-08:00

Hello from Harare, Zimbabwe! For the past few days, I’ve been speaking on leadership in cities in Zimbabwe and South Africa. It’s been a wonderful trip, with audiences hungry to grow. And I’m grateful to my host, Dr. David Molapo. He’s taken care of every detail.

But today I want to tell you about something else I’m grateful for. In Cape Town, South Africa, I received a very meaningful gift from my friend Shaun Battleman: a visit and private tour of Robben Island.

If you haven’t heard of Robben Island and the prison that used to be there, you might have heard of one of its more famous prisoners: Nelson Mandela. You might also be familiar with this picture of him in his jail cell, where he spent 27 years of his life for the “crime” of protesting South Africa’s policy of apartheid.

On a sunny spring day in Cape Town, we boarded Shaun Battleman’s yacht and traveled over to Robben Island. After disembarking, we were taken on a private tour of the facility (which is now a museum). Our tour guide, Jama, had been imprisoned there at the same time as Mandela.

Once we entered the former prison, the doors were slammed shut – to give us a sense of what it felt like to be locked in. We saw the area where prisoners were issued a number and lost the use of their name, along with the censor’s office, where news from loved ones was literally cut out of letters.

Most significantly, we visited Nelson Mandela’s cell – the one in the picture above. Here’s another photo that shows more of the interior.

The furnishings consisted of a bucket, a stool, and a “bed” that was really just a mat on the floor. Jama allowed me to unlock the cell door and enter the space that had been “home” to Mandela for so long. First, I lay down on the mat – it was very uncomfortable, as you might imagine. Then I looked out the cell window onto the prison yard, just like Mandela did in the first photo. And I was overcome with emotion, inspired by Nelson Mandela’s courage and commitment. For you see, he never stopped fighting apartheid, even while imprisoned.

He and fellow prisoners, who were not allowed to interact, met in the one place in the whole prison where the guards left them alone: the cave that they had to use as a toilet. Because of the smell of the cave, the guards would not go in. So it was there that Mandela and his fellow prisoners discussed the future of South Africa.

Released in 1990 after the dismantling of the system of segregation, Mandela went on to serve as first president of the new South Africa from 1994 to 1999. And after retiring, he continued to serve his people. He’s now 93 years old, and one of the leaders that I admire most who I haven’t been able to meet. We had an appointment set up last year, but Mr. Mandela had a health problem that forced us to cancel. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to meet him, but I can tell you the lessons I’ve learned from him. This is what I took away from my visit to his prison:

* Our surroundings need not control our spirit.
* People who devalue us do not determine our value.
* Dreams can be birthed during the daily grind.
* Out of our brokenness, we can be made whole and bring healing to others.

A writer in the Bible’s book of Proverbs wrote, “A man’s gift makes room for him.” Nelson Mandela had no room in his cell, but his gift could not be contained. In time, his gift made room for him to lead and bless his country.
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STILL I RISE

2011-11-21T00:25:00.000-08:00

"Of the greats that have inspired me, Maya Angelou has been among them. She is Grace personified and her poems are nothing short of genius...here's one of them.Enjoy and God Bless" ...Jazz

STILL I RISE
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

Maya Angelou

HEATHER HEADLEY'S "I WISH" - AUDIENCE OF ONE

2011-11-07T02:09:00.000-08:00

I'd give you the moon But you'd never the warmth of the sunshine I'd give you the world But exactly what would that do?
I'd promise you wings to fly But how would you ever learn to run? So I wish you all you need to be than I could be This is what I wish for you
I wish you rainy days So you can know the beauty of a clear blue sky I wish you falling leaves So you understand that seasons change
And if I gave you the mountains would you learn to climb? I pray you'll always see the forest through the trees This is what I wish for you This is what I wish for you
If I could I'd say the word And chase your fears away And I'd stay right by your side And point the way that you should take
But this is your life This is your story And when all is done and said Say you lived with no regret
I wish you ocean breeze And rivers that bring you everything you need I wish the air you breathe Is all that you'll ever need
And I wish you nights of love And days of joy and shoulders when you cry And just enough hellos to get you through goodbye This is what I wish for you
I pray one day you'll have a home With arms that open wide And you'll have someone who loves you Always by your side
And when you lose your will to try I wish you wings to fly, I wish you wings to fly I wish you everything you need This is what I wish for you, this is what I wish for you

SONGS FROM HEAVEN

2011-09-07T01:16:00.000-07:00

Where golden light becomes the red,
And red becomes the white,
Burning with the zeal of love,
A land devoid of night,
Powering the universe
From star to distant star;
Consume the dross, O Ancient One,
Let no aberrance mar
All that belongs to You alone,
Created by Your word;
All that is seen and understood,
All hidden and unheard.
Consume the sin, O Ancient One,
Consign it to the night;
For us there’s oneness with our God,
The Everlasting Light.
No shadow dare exalt itself,
No darkness dare display,
Where God Eternal rules and reigns
The land of endless day.
Praise Him, all you heavenly host,
Praise Him, Sons of men.
Turn your faces toward the Son,
God’s “Yea” and His “Amen.”
Every little seam,
Every little seam
Sewn with the thread of life;
Every little seam
Joins the living stream
Flowing to the river of life
Let my life extol the living God,
The Father of all light.
From the ends of the earth through the universe,
Extol His mercy and might.
Forever is not long enough
To praise His glorious name,
The forever of forever
To shout His glory and fame.
O celestial court, throw down your crowns
‘Neath the ruler of the earth.
Living creatures, sing your songs
To the King of the universe.
o joy unspeakable, joy foretold,
Ever new and ever old,
Before the Father’s throne be bold
To lift your songs of praise
Angels in their glory
Can never touch the flame,
The fire, pure incandescence,
That burns within Your name.
Let them gaze in wonder,
In awe, as they proclaim:
“Holy God, though ever new,
Eternally the same.”
Frightened, frozen, fettered.
Those who seek to fight,
Numbed and gnawed and naked,
Those who choose the night.
But we are covered by His love,
Beneath His banner stand,
Hidden in the Rock above,
Sheltered by His hand.
Angels in their glory
Can never touch the flame,
The fire, pure incandescence,
That burns within Your name.
Let them gaze in wonder,
In awe, as they proclaim:
“Holy God, though ever new,
Eternally the same.”
Praise You beyond the highest heaven.
Praise You beyond the lowest depth.
Praise You for Your loving presence.
Praise You for Your judgments blest.
Praise You, sun and moon together.
Praise You, whirling wheels and stars.
Praise You, angel chorus sounding.
Praise You near and praise afar.
Children sing Your praises, Father.
Maidens praise You, holy Son.
Holy Spirit, we adore You.
Finish now what You have begun.
Started long ago, hallelujah,
When together we did sing,
Blessed Father, Son, and Spirit,
To You, O God, our praise we bring.
Praise Your holy name, hallelujah,
Praise Your holy name, hallelujah,
Praise Your holy name.
The Holy Spirit’s Song
Let the brush of angels’ wings
Never blind the eyes
Of those who see beyond the veil
To gaze at paradise.
Gaze on, gaze on past the golden rim,
Gaze on past streets of gold,
Gaze on past all created things
To the new One, ever old.
Ever old and ever new,
Ancient of Days is He.
Infinity within His hands,
Light eternally.
Compassionate God, He who is good,
Compassionate God of might,
Life as a river flows from Your throne
To those who turn from night.
Let the cherubim in awe,
The seraphim in praise,
As those who see beyond the veil,
Upon Him ever gaze.
Gaze on, gaze on past the golden rim,
Gaze on past streets of gold,
Gaze on past all created things
To the new One, ever old.

Adapted from "anna roundtree's" Heavens opened book.

(c) jazzkuria

CLOUDS.WINDS.STARS

2011-07-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

Friends,

I found the following an interesting read:

“For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ does for the church.” Eph. 5:29

Love him boldly, not with the corners of your eyes. Let her not see in the stars a wish….let the stars see in her a mate.

Lying on her back, fingers from the left and the right hands converged behind the rear of her head to give a pillow effect. She watched as the stars happily twinkled. On a remote corner of the skies, the clouds seemed to feel left out, especially the grey and dark and black ones. Is that why they move right underneath the stars, clouding them out to claim some attention too? For if they were at all mindful of the stars and their glitter they would consider a highway above the stars for their aimless journey. Or is it the wind speaking to the stars, “If you do not grant me the honor I’m due I’ll huff a stubborn cloud curtain to obscure your glitter into a lifetime of night!”

“Stop looking into space and pay attention to your soul!” she summoned herself to concentration. She was here to search her soul – and now she was searching the skies. But the more she approached her inside the more she was drawn to the outside. Closing her eyes and opening them was one and the same thing – she felt torched from within as she felt illuminated from the outside. Something far out seemed to rhyme with her deep down. As she searched her heart with her thoughts, the random yet ordered dance of the wind, the clouds and the stars too took her through the paces. What happens when frowns take to the floor to dance with smiles? What do you call this dance? She saw as she had felt, admiration so hastily despising. She had felt as she was seeing, hate turning to so intensely loving. Collaboration and conspiracy intertwined as if conspiracy was a kind of collaboration and collaboration a type of conspiracy. The dance she was feeling inside, her eyes were observing outside.

There is nothing like the village sky. It has this inviting power that cranes your neck towards it. Not so in the city. What with all the people who are out to snatch your bag? Dare to look up and the bag in your hand is gone, snatched by one who is tantalized not by twinkling skies but by slinging handbags. So for the love of our bags we drill our eyes into all faces intentionally labeling them all suspect. There are those who walk with the gait of the owners of the city zealously dodging faces choosing instead to gaze into the tunnels between necks. They dodge not because they are shy, but because they fake disinterest and pretend to spit all faces out of their eyes. Their eyes focus on the spaces between the faces, but their minds are face to face with you. They accord you a subordinate corner-of-the-eye view. But like the eyes of an anxious chameleon their minds turn you over and over with admiration.

Clouds. Winds. Stars. Dance. Dance well. Dance carefully. Let the cloudy move not be to mock her step, but to shield her from hurt. Let the wind that is your breath whisper the loudness of his worth. Love him boldly, not with the corners of your eyes. Let her not see in the stars a wish….let the stars see in her a mate.

Pastor Buri E.

"Disappointment with God"

2011-06-26T06:14:00.000-07:00

one of my first books to read.. and what a revelation i got.here's the excerpt and Phillip words himself describing his book. If you must know, this is a must have and I highly recommend it.

Biography
Philip Yancey is an author and an editor-at-large for Christianity Today magazine. His articles have appeared in scores of magazines, including Reader's Digest and The Saturday Evening Post. He has written the book Where Is God When It Hurts? and co-edited The Student Bible. With Dr. Paul Brand he wrote Fearfully and Wonderfully Made and its companion, In His Image. All four of these books won Gold Medallion Awards. His newest book is Disappointment With God. [Biographical information is correct as of the broadcast date noted above.]

We encourage you to purchase Philip Yancey's books through Amazon.Com
which will donate 15% of the purchase price back to the Chicago Sunday Evening Club
and 30 Good Minutes.

"Disappointment with God"
Have you ever been disappointed with God? It's hard to admit, I know. It seems somehow wrong. Yet after I wrote the book, Disappointment with God, a little over a year ago, I started getting letters, all kinds of letters from all kinds of people. Each of them told me in a different way, "I've been disappointed with God." It's a common experience, almost universal, among Christians. Many of them went on to tell me their stories. Some became disappointed with God because of a tragedy. The most common one was the loss of a child. At such a moment of pain they turn to God and say, "Why? Why would a loving Father allow something like this to happen to me?" Other people wrote and said, "There is no one specific thing on which I can pin down my feeling of disappointment, but the relationship I have with God sometimes seems very close and personal and other times He seems far away."

There is a bumper sticker I have sometimes seen in church parking lots. It says, "If you feel far from God, guess who moved?" Some of these people said to me it seemed like God moved. Disappointment with God. If you have ever felt that, I start with an encouraging word. The word is you're not alone. Not only have other Christians felt that same experience, but many of the people who wrote the Bible have experienced disappointment with God as well.

A lot of us turn to the Book of Psalm when we want comfort. If you really read those Psalms carefully, by my estimate about a third of them are written by disappointed people. They will call God to task. They will say, "I thought we had a deal, God. Why are these bad things happening? I followed your will and yet I am surrounded by enemies. My life is caving in. It's not fair." They look around them and say, "This world is not fair. Wicked people seem to be prospering while righteous people like me are suffering. It's not so easy. Explain yourself, God." About a third of the Psalms have something of that tone.

It is not just in the Psalms. There are other books like Jeremiah and Habakkuk in which disappointment with God is a major theme. There is one book in the Bible, however, where it is right at the center. That book is the Book of Job. Bible scholars say that Job may be the first book written in the Bible, the oldest book. I find it interesting that when God set down the word He wanted us to know about Him, He began with one of the hardest questions of all.

A lot of you have read Scott Peck's best-selling book, The Road Less Traveled. The book starts with a three word sentence. It says, "Life is difficult." If I had to summarize the message of the book of Job, it would also be a three word sentence. That sentence is "Life is unfair." Poor Job. He reminds me of a character that the cartoonist Al Capp used to draw, a little man who had a thunder cloud over his head all the time. No matter where he went, it was always raining on him. That's how Job must have felt when his life started to fall apart.

It's not always big things that cause us to questions things like, "Is life unfair?" I find that often for me it I s the petty things - when my car won't get started. Maybe you have ten pounds you've been trying to lose for two years and you can never keep them off. For me as a writer, the most discouraging thing is when I work all day, or a couple of days, on an article and then through some computer foul up, I lose it and have to start all over. It's at moments like this that I start thinking life is unfair.

That is the experience that Job had, but he had it in the largest way imaginable. Job was a wealthy man. He had a large family, ten children. Yet in one day his wealth was destroyed, taken away from him. He lost all ten children. He lost his own health and poor Job sat there scratching himself with shards of pottery. All he had left was a wife and three friends. His wife sat in the corner and said, "Give up, Job. Curse God and die." She wasn't much help. The three friends sat around trying to prove to Job that it was his fault that he was suffering. They told him, "Job, God is punishing you because of something bad that you have done." Well, Job sat there. As the book goes on, together they all explore the question, is God unfair.

When I got to the portion of Disappointment with God that dealt with the Book of Job, I decided to look around me and find the person I knew who was most like Job. I found such a person. He was a righteous man in the same sense that Job was righteous. He was a good man. He had been trained as a psychotherapist, but he gave up a lucrative practice and started to work in the inner-city among poor people. Yet after he did that, his life started to fall apart as well. The first thing that happened was that his wife came down with a case of breast cancer. She started taking chemotherapy treatments and that affected his whole family. She was always tired and often felt sick. Douglas, the man's name, had to pick up a lot of work around the house. The spot of cancer spread and appeared on her lungs. Her life was seriously threatened and a new series of treatment started.

Douglas had to deal with that new situation. In the middle of his pain and in the middle of the suffering of their family, they were involved in a serious traffic accident. They weren't doing anything wrong; they were driving down a road. A drunken driver crossed the median, and smashed into their car head on. Douglas's twelve-year-old daughter went through the windshield and was badly lacerated in the face. His wife was also hurt. The worst injuries were to Douglas himself. Douglas hit his head on the dashboard. First, he had trouble with his vision. One of his eyes wouldn't cooperate and he saw double. He couldn't even walk down a set of stairs without stumbling. The worst thing to him was that he could no longer read. Douglas loved to read. I knew Douglas. I knew his story.

When I started to write about the Book of Job, I decided to interview Douglas. I called him up and scheduled an appointment. We met for breakfast. He told me some of the story. We sat and chatted for a while. After breakfast had been served I said, "Well, Douglas, I'm writing a book about disappointment with God. I thought of all the people I know you have the right to be disappointed with God, you're right at the top of the list. Tell me, what would you say to people who are disappointed with God?" Douglas thought for a minute and stroked his beard. Finally he looked at me and said, "You know, Philip, I don't think I've ever been disappointed with God." This was a great shock to me. I was amazed. I had specifically chosen Douglas because I thought of all the people I knew, he was the one most likely to be disappointed, even angry at God, because of the unfairness he had seen.

I asked, "How can this be?"

He said to me, "You know, Philip, I learned a long time ago and especially through this accident not to confuse God with life. Is life unfair? You bet. My life has been unfair. What has happened to my wife, what has happened to my daughter, what has happened to me, it's unfair. But I think God feels exactly the same way. I think He is grieved and hurt by what that drunk driver did as much as I am. Don't confuse God with life." He said, "As I read the Bible, especially the Old Testament, I notice that those people were able to separate the physical reality of their lives from the spiritual reality of their relationship with God."

As we sat there together, we went through some of those people. We turned to a passage, for example, in Ezekiel where God tells about three of His very favorite people: Daniel, Noah and Job. Think about those three people. One of them spent the night with a bunch of lions; one of them lived through a huge flood that killed thousands of people and then, of course, there's Job, the greatest example of unfairness in the Bible. Yet when God looks at those people, He says these are three of my favorites.

All three of them—Daniel, Noah, Job—and many others—Abraham, David, who wrote some of the Psalms—learned to have a relationship with God that didn't depend on how healthy they were and how well their lives were going.

A Jewish theologian named Abraham Heschel once said of the Book of Job, "Job gained a faith that could never be shaken because he got it out of having been shaken." That's the kind of faith that these people seemed to have.

We sat there together going through so many of these stories from the Bible. Suddenly Douglas glanced down at his watch and said, "I've got to go. I'll leave you with one last thought and that's this. If you are ever tempted to confuse God with life, go back and. read the story of Jesus, the story of God on Earth. Ask yourself how Jesus would have answered the question, is life unfair." Just before he left Douglas said, "For me, the cross of Christ demolished for all time the idea that life is supposed to be fair."

I took Douglas' challenge. I went home and read the Gospels and I asked myself how Jesus would respond to that question, is life unfair? When Jesus was with a poor person or a sick person, He never said, "Well, that's your lot in life. You have got to accept it." He changed it. He healed that person.

When Jesus had a friend who died, He responded much like we do. He cried. He grieved. When Jesus faced pain and possible death, He was afraid, as you or I would be.

The guest last week on this program was Henri Nouwen. He tells a moving story from the country of Paraguay. It is about a doctor who cared very much for the poor people in his little village. He would often treat them free of charge. But others—the authorities, the police, the government in the village—didn't like him. They didn't like his politics. They thought he was stirring up foment among the poor people. He was too popular for them to take on, so instead they kidnaped his son. They took his son, arrested him, put him in a jail and tortured him. They tortured him too much and the son died.

When news of the son's death spread throughout the village, they wanted to hold a huge demonstration march. They wanted to carry his body through the village and demonstrate to the media, to the newspapers, what had gone on. But, the father said, "No, I don't want to do that. I just want a funeral in the church here in the village. We will show in our own way."

When people arrived for the funeral, they had a surprise in store. The father had taken the body of the son just as he had found it in the prison cell on a blood-soaked, dirty mattress. Instead of being all dressed up in a nice suit in an expensive coffin, the corpse in that little village was naked, lying on this mattress covered with scars. It was the strongest protest imaginable. What that father did was put the injustices of his village on grotesque display.

Henri Nouwen goes on to ask, "Isn't that what God did at Calvary? He spread out for the whole world to see the injustice of this world. The cross in one minute showed what kind of world we have—a world of violence, a world of cruelty, a world of injustice, and what kind of God we have, a God of sacrificial love who gives Himself for us."

Is God unfair? It depends on how closely you relate God and life. I challenge you not to confuse God with life. The question "Is God unfair?" is very different than the question, "If life unfair?" No one was exempt from tragedy, pain, disappointment. Job wasn't. The other people in the Old Testament were not. Even God himself, when He came to earth, was not exempt from unfairness, from pain, from tragedy.

The story of the Gospel does not end there. If you want to find some disappointed people, read the stories of the disciples who were around Jesus when He died. They had waited and followed

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

2011-05-24T03:27:00.000-07:00

May 23rd 2011 has to go down as my breakthrough day as I was was privileged to encounter my “eureka” moment on God’s Love for me, actually All of us, in such a wonderful way. A perspective of God’s AMAZING, EVERLASTING LOVE that was hitherto unbeknownst to me. Friends, I will try and make this as brief as possible to enable a quick understanding.

1 john 4:15 – 21 will be my focal reference bible verses.

John was one of Jesus’ disciples and in his Gospel of John, he often referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” and I always imagined John being overtly showboating in his expression as to insinuate that Jesus loved him specially more than the rest of the disciple but upon reading more of his writings in 1st and 2nd john , I realized that he had come to a certain truth while being with Jesus; and that was God’s unconditional Love to us! NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS!
It is John who wrote that memorable redemptive verse (john 3:16) to impress upon us God’s Love for us through Jesus Christ.

Prior to the coming of the Messiah, we were under the Law of Moses and the prophets, which was summed up in one sentence .Luke 22.37 – 40. And since Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets, He became it and thus instead of living under the law to please, serve and Love God, which we always fell short, we got the way, the truth and the life in believing in Jesus as our savior’s such John continues to emphasize on john 3:36 since by not believing in Jesus, we tell God that we are still under the Law.
Now in 1st john 4 : from verse 7 John helps us know that it is not in our own love towards God that we can please God but the inverse, God’s Love for us enables us to Love God and thus Please God. Wow!!!!Triple Wow!!!! Imagine that; verse 19:” We love because He first Loved us” and by understanding this Love that God grants all those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord, we make a statement to God that we accept His Love , and thus are no longer living in fear but in Love.
In doing so, in understanding God’s Love towards us, we are able to love our brothers; Summing up the law and the prophets as Jesus said – We Love God through believing in Jesus Christ and through His Love , we Love our neighbors’ and we love ourselves.
Apostle Paul understood this Love that God had lavished on us when he wrote in Romans 13: 8 – 10 and also Romans.
When I fully grasped this, I was in awe. Awe of God’s Love to me and I am overwhelmed.

God bless

GIDEON AND THE GOLDEN EPHOD

2011-04-19T01:54:00.000-07:00

Gideon’s golden ephod seems to have been a good idea gone bad. After a striking, against-all-odds victory over the Midianites, Gideon turned down an offer to become king over all Israel. He humbly refused this offer because he knew that it was not God’s intention for Israel to have a king like the surrounding nations. God was their King! God’s Law said, “You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6), and Gideon rightly responded to the people, “I will not rule over you…the Lord shall rule over you” (Judges 8:23). That was the good news. The bad news was that Gideon requested a “small” financial reward for his services—just one gold earring per person from the victory spoils taken from the enemy. Not much, but it led to a big problem for Gideon and the nation! The desire for gold always leads to problems (1 Timothy 6:9).

The people honored Gideon’s request and gave him more gold than he asked for—about 43 pounds of gold. That’s a lot of gold! He had the gold molded into an ephod, and set it up for all to see in his home town of Ophrah. Now why did Gideon want a golden ephod? An ephod was one of the cloth garments worn by the high priest under his breastplate. Gideon wasn’t a priest. Ephods were not his responsibility. Did Gideon secretly desire to be a priest? Did he have a guilty conscience about taking the gold, so he decided to “put it into a good cause”? Did he create the ephod with good motives, as a memorial to the Lord’s victory over the enemy? Was the ephod meant to remind Israel that it was a nation of priests led directly by God? After all, it wasn’t a golden crown, but an ephod.

Although Gideon’s motive for making a golden ephod may have had good, the results were disastrous. The golden ephod became a trap to Gideon and his family, and became an object of idolatrous worship for all Israel! What went wrong? The answer is obvious. Gideon may have had good intentions, but his idea was not in line with Scripture. Only the priests were to be involved with ephods and Gideon was not a priest. Furthermore, ephods were not to be made of gold, and they were not to be used or kept in places like Ophrah, but only in association with the Tabernacle. Gideon certainly knew this, but he must have reasoned that since his motive was good, a little deviation from the strict letter of God’s Law would be OK. However, good motives must always be combined with biblical methods. Whenever we stray from the Word of God there will be bad fallout.

Beware of Golden Ephods
Beware of golden ephods! Golden ephods can be projects or ministries or anything that is done “for the Lord,” but is out of line with His Word. Whether it be elaborate buildings or fund-raising projects or even ideas for new ministries, beware of creating a golden ephod! The motives behind golden ephods may range all the way from a genuine spiritual desire to serve the people of God to secret selfish agendas. So be careful! Make sure the ideas line up with Scripture. Otherwise, in the future that golden ephod could become a pitfall for you and God’s people.

Remember, too, that a biblical beginning is not enough. Any service for the Lord can become a golden ephod. Take, for example, ministries or churches that no longer proclaim the gospel and teach the Word of God. They may have started out on a solid biblical foundation, but over the years they have strayed from Scripture. They have become golden ephods. Their assets have grown and their buildings may be impressive, but the ministries or churches themselves have become “objects of worship,” and are maintained because of the worldly human desire for positions of power and pride. They are an obstruction to the spiritual growth of God’s people, and a pitfall for those who don’t know Christ.

Some institutions for Christian education or biblical studies have become golden ephods. Established many years ago with the good motive of training future teachers and leaders of God’s people, they have not only departed from biblical standards, they have even undermined the Word of God by denying its inspiration and authority. False doctrine is disseminated by professors who may even question the deity of Christ. These golden ephod institutions have become wealthy, heavily-endowed spiritual disasters, a trap and snare not only for their students, but for all the people of God.

The Golden Ephod Syndrome
Could your church or ministry become a golden ephod? The answer is obvious. Any church, institution, ministry, magazine, evangelistic group—any service for the Lord can become a golden ephod if it departs from the Word of God in its purpose, principles, ideas and methods of operation. Be on guard! Satan’s golden ephod ideas always look good- but they lead to spiritual disaster! New biblically-based methods or ministries that are scriptural can be used by God and greatly benefit God’s people, but great caution must be taken to keep the ministry on biblical track, and prevent the insidious creep towards a golden ephod. Be careful that the desire for “a few golden earrings” doesn’t ensnare you, your church or your service for the Lord into the golden ephod syndrome. Unfortunately, administrators, pastors, trustees, church members, presidents, evangelists and project supporters can become so enamored with their ministries that they will go to almost any lengths to preserve them, even when they have departed from their original purpose and become golden ephods. Remember, once a golden ephod is created and established, it is almost impossible to remove it!

The biblical narratives of the bronze serpent and the golden ephod were “written to teach us” (Romans 15:4). It’s a serious sin to distort the worship of God and to obstruct the growth of His people by creating, treasuring or maintaining bronze serpents or golden ephods.

David R. Reid

Back to Devotions For Growing Christians

Complicated problems need Creative solutions

2011-03-24T03:08:00.000-07:00

By John C. Maxwell.

To face the greatest challenges of life, we need to cultivate creative thinking. In times of crisis, you need to tap into every good idea you have. Of course, the best time to increase your creativity is before the crisis occurs. This can be done by establishing the discipline of creative thinking. Here are a few ways we can do that:

1. Spend time with creative people.

Make a habit, both inside and outside of work, of spending time with creatives. Let their way of thinking challenge and influence yours.

2. Look for the obvious.

When problem-solving, many of us make the mistake of looking only for the “big” solution. Creativity means exploring all ideas, even the obvious and seemingly insignificant ones. Often the simplest solution is the best solution.

3. Be unreasonable.

Logic and creativity can work together quite well, but sometimes rational thinking gets in the way of being creative. Be willing to look at unreasonable ideas. Often they expand your thinking and lead to breakthroughs that you might otherwise miss.

4. Practice mental agility.

Creativity requires flexibility. Rigid, bureaucratic thinking is in direct opposition innovation and creativity. So make a habit of considering every idea, no matter how difficult it might seem to implement or how much change it may require.

5. Dare to be different.

Being creative means standing outside of the norm. You must cultivate a willingness to challenge every rule and assumption.

6. See problems as opportunities.

Sometimes the only difference between a problem and an opportunity is the word you use to describe it. Whenever you face a problem, take a step back and ask how it could be described as an opportunity—to innovate, build, and improve.

The discipline of creative thinking will change you—and for the better. As jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “The mind, once expanded to the dimensions of larger ideas, never returns to its original size.”

My prayer is that people who have spent years cultivating creativity are already at work in Japan – and the Middle East, and around the world – to serve people and bring solutions to hurting nations. May we keep them in our prayers.

Don't Quit

2011-02-28T00:50:00.001-08:00

Author believed to be Rev Wade Watts

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road your trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and its turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When they might have won, had they stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victors cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when your hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit!

Life's Purpose

2011-01-31T05:35:00.000-08:00

You can find your life's purpose in your values

We all need a reason for living and the stronger the reason, the more motivation we have. You can think of your life's purpose as something you do, such as being a good parent, or good husband/wife. Or, you can think of your purpose in terms of achievement such as being successful or helping others. I found that a better way to distinguish my purpose from my achievements, which can be ego driven, is to focus on my values. I demonstrate my purpose every day through my actions in the way I treat people and the way I react to life's challenges. Who you choose to be is the code of honour that you live by.

Unfortunately most people have never really thought about their values in depth, they usually have a vague idea but not enough to give them a clear sense of purpose. Knowing and living according to your values has a number of benefits. Firstly by making a commitment to demonstrate your values on a daily basis you have a very clear code of ethics and standards to live by, this makes it easier to respond positively to the ups and downs of daily living. Secondly, by choosing to act on these values you break the pattern of reacting, and this is how you change old beliefs and create new beliefs about yourself. And most importantly acting on these values makes you feel happier.

Let me give you an example of how this works. If a person cuts you off just as you are about to drive into a parking spot, think about how you want to act . If you reacted you might be tempted to make a rude gesture, give the other driver a black look, scream abuse or mutter to yourself ¾ you could even go so far as to let another person's actions spoil your day. Or, you can make a conscious choice to act like the person you choose to be. If, for instance you choose to be a kind person you might let the other person have your parking spot. You might even feel irritated for a short while, but you will feel good about yourself and the way you behaved therefore turning a potentially negative experience into something positive. Acting on your values is a form of self mastery.

When you react you give your power away. All you have to do is observe the world around you and you will see people reacting constantly, and it doesn't make them happy. When you consciously choose to act on your values you not only feel good about yourself, you reinforce your chosen beliefs. When you act consistently on your values your perception about what you can be, do and have changes, and the world in turn changes its perception of you.

When you give you also need to receive otherwise it's easy to burn out or become resentful and the easiest way to create a healthy balance between giving and receiving is to know and then live by your values. I break values up into two groups which I call being and having values. Your being values are the character traits of the ideal person you would like to be. I suggest to my clients that they choose three being values that they are willing to make a commitment to live by. An example of some being values are: kind, loving, generous, inspirational, peaceful, wise and even powerful. By acting on these values you give to others through your actions and you inspire others by being a positive role model. Mastering being these character traits becomes your life purpose.

Your having values are the feelings you need to create in order to be happy. These could be companionship, achievement, support, being valued or financial security. This is what you receive and value. You take responsibility for filling your own needs by taking steps to create these feelings and conditions in your life.

When you make a commitment to live by your being values it becomes easier to make conscious choices rather than reactionary ones. If your usual pattern is to talk about your problems, you could choose to think and act like a calm person. A calm person might go for a walk, meditate, or set a time limit before responding. If your usual pattern is to worry, you could choose to act like a responsible or wise person. In other words you would act like the person you choose to be ¾ this is the key to personal power.

When you choose to act on your values you not only feel good about yourself, you reinforce your chosen beliefs. Over time acting in this way changes how you perceive the world, and in turn the way other people perceive you.

Anne Hartley
http://www.hartlifecoaching.com.au

What are your Fears keeping you from doing?

2011-01-17T00:57:00.000-08:00

By John C Maxwell

In a speech in 1933, American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, addressing a nation mired in a Depression and on the verge of a world war, famously stated, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” During the first century A.D., Epictetus said, “It is not death or pain that is to be dreaded, but the fear of pain or death.” And in the 1600s, Francis Bacon remarked that, “Nothing is terrible except fear itself.”

Fear is universal. It crosses all boundaries of race, culture, religion and generation. We all feel fear. So why do some people appear to be fearless, doing battle with enemies that others cower before? Because they recognize that the greatest enemy they face is the fear itself. The first battle every hero faces is against fear and its weapons of destruction.

So how should we deal with fear? Avoiding it never really makes it go away; we either become paralyzed or defeated. Frantically searching for a quick fix usually just results in unfocused and wasted effort.

The only way to deal with fear is to face it and overcome it. Dale Carnegie explained it this way: “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” Here are some actions you can take to face and overcome fear:

Discover the foundation of fear

The fact is that most fear is not based on fact. Much of what we fear is based on a feeling. According to an old saying, “Fear and worry are interest paid in advance on something you may never own.” And Aristotle explained, “Fear is pain arising from anticipation of evil.”

When you acknowledge that the majority of fear is unfounded, you can begin to release yourself from its power. American general George Patton understood this. He said, “I learned very early in life not to take counsel of my fears.” Businessman Allen Neuharth saw his worst fears come true, only to realize that they weren’t as big as he’d imagined: “I quit being afraid when my first venture failed and the sky didn’t fall down.”

Admit your fears

One of our biggest misconceptions is that courage equals a lack of fear. In actuality, the opposite is true. Mark Twain explained, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.” By admitting our fear, we can then challenge its accuracy.

That’s how General Patton dealt with it: “The time to take counsel of your fears is before you make an important battle decision,” he said. “That’s the time to listen to every fear you can imagine! When you have collected all the facts and fears and made your decision, turn off all of your fears and go ahead!”

Accept the frailty and brevity of life

Sometimes our greatest fears are founded on reality. For example, we are all going to die sometime. There’s no denying that. Likewise, life will often be hard and painful. Those things are completely out of our control. By accepting their reality, we can then focus on the things we actually can control.

I love what Gertrude Stein wrote about fear: “Considering how dangerous everything is, nothing is really frightening.”

Accept fear as the price of progress

“As long as I continue to push out into the world,” said Susan Jeffers, “as long as I continue to stretch my capabilities, as long as I continue to take risks in making my dreams come true, I am going to experience fear.”

To do anything of value, we have to take risks. And with risk comes fear. If we accept it as the price of progress, then we can take appropriate risks that yield great reward.

Develop a burning desire that overcomes fear

Sometimes the best way to fight fear is to focus on our reason for confronting it. Is it bigger than the fear? The firefighter runs into the burning building not because he’s fearless, but because he has a calling that is more important than the fear.

The person afraid of flying decides to confront it not because the fear has vanished, but because a meeting with a new grandchild awaits at the end of the flight.

Focus on what you can control

We cannot control the length of our lives; we can’t control many of the circumstances that we face. Accepting those facts allows us to focus on what we can control. Like American basketball coach John Wooden said, “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”

As a leader, I often have to deal with the wrong attitudes and actions of the people who follow me. So a long time ago, I decided that,

I can control my attitude, but not others’ actions.

I can control my calendar, but not others’ circumstances.

And it’s not what happens to me, but what happens in me.

Focus on today

Fear tries to make us look at all of our problems at once: those from yesterday, today, and tomorrow. To be courageous, you have to focus only on today. Why? Because it’s the only thing you have any control over.

I love what a wise man once said about an ocean liner: If an ocean liner could think and feel, it would never leave its dock; it would be afraid of the thousands of huge waves it would encounter. It would fear all of its dangers at once, even though it had to meet them only one wave at a time.

By focusing only on what’s right in front of us, we can manage tremendous risk because we know we’ll only have to deal with it one wave at a time.

Put some wins under your belt

Just like fear tends to breed more fear, courage leads to more courage. According to Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

The more we face our fears, the more capable we begin to feel, and the more fears we are willing to face.

Do it now

Often, all it takes to conquer a fear is to change our focus and try some of the above suggestions. As we realize what’s true and focus on what we can control, the fear naturally fades and weakens. But there are other times, when no amount of thinking can overcome the fear. In fact, the more we think in those situations, the more fearful we become. Then, the only solution is action.

As W. Clement Stone said, “When thinking won’t cure fear, action will.”

It is the wise person who accepts that fear is a very real part of life, and it must be faced and overcome with courage. By taking action in the face of fear, he or she achieves results and becomes more courageous.

Another American president, Harry S. Truman, said it this way: “The worst danger we face is the danger of being paralyzed by doubts and fears. This danger is brought on by those who abandon faith and sneer at hope. It is brought on by those who spread cynicism and distrust and try to blind us to our great chance to do good for all mankind.”

2011 follow up resolutions

2011-01-03T00:44:00.000-08:00

A new year is here with us and with it a new hope and a future that is virtually pregnant with a basketful of blessings; As I would like to think of it!
With it comes the resolutions and to-do lists that inundate our diaries and sticker pads to keep us in the straight and narrow path of success. That said, I do have a couple of “resolutions” but more of a general follow ups from ones made last year.

The least of all is to be “present” in the moment at all times. I got up on this one sometime last year and as much as it may sound a bit atypical, if you think about it, we miss it a lot of times that it costs us big time in the long run. Being “present” basically means to be acutely aware of the precious opportunity, obstacle , person, etc that is about and around you at any particular time; that has been “presented” to you to help you , encourage you and ultimately guide you to the next level you have been seeking to go to. Amazing!! yup, easier done than said! Trust me!

Another follow up resolution will be to continue to support my baby steps gained in achieving the hard trained – PMA – “Positive Mental Attitude”!Basically, Keep sending and thus receiving the positive vibes every time. If there is one thing that I have diligently stuck too religiously last year was this. And I hope to reap maximum returns as the sower’s adage informs.

To love and let love.
To persevere the hard and difficult times courageously so Help me God
To be always grateful for everything in my life
To seek a higher level in my walk with God! This is crucial in helping me self-actualize a piece at a time.
To keep up with the mentorship program that has helped me grow and I also identify people to mentor and pour out what I have gained.

….Just to list a few. Care to share yours?

© jazzkuria

A poem for my Weary Soul.

2010-12-04T02:23:00.001-08:00

Peace! I speak unto my weary soul;

Our Mighty God is in control.

Remember His lasting faithfulness,

And joy in that assuring gladness;

Pay little attention to the cumbersome life sideshows,

Rather indulge wholeheartedly upholding His eternal laws;

Hard as it may,keep pressing on-

The battle's already won.

Say to the Lord
You are to me more than silver & gold

And shout for your victory.

For your burden will soon become history.

Peace! I speak to you my weary soul,

Our Mighty God is in control.

©jazzkuria
04.12.2010 1321hrs
Inspired by the anxiety sorrounding my imminent big break job switch.

Change your thinking, change your life? By John C. Maxwell

2010-10-18T01:29:00.000-07:00

Can changing your thinking really change your life? Consider this: I’ve studied successful people for forty years, and though the diversity you find among them is astounding, I believe they are all alike in one way: how they think! That is the one thing that separates the successful from the unsuccessful.
The good news is that it’s possible to learn how to think like a successful person. But before we can learn from a good thinker, we need to know what they look like. You often hear someone say that a colleague or friend is a “good thinker,” but that phrase means something different to everyone. To one person it may mean having a high IQ, while to another it could mean knowing a bunch of trivia or being able to figure out whodunit when reading a mystery novel.
I believe that good thinking isn’t just one thing. It consists of several specific thinking skills. Becoming a good thinker means developing those skills to the best of your ability. In Built to Last, Jim Collins and Jerry Porras describe what it means to be a visionary company, the kind of company that epitomizes the pinnacle of American business. They describe it this way:
A visionary company is like a great work of art. Think of Michelangelo’s scenes from Genesis on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel or his statue of David. Think of a great and enduring novel like Huckleberry Finn or Crime and Punishment. Think of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony or Shakespeare’s Henry V. Think of a beautifully designed building, like the masterpieces of Frank Lloyd Wright or Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. You can’t point to any one single item that makes the whole thing work; it’s the entire work—all the pieces working together to create an overall effect—that leads to enduring greatness.
Good thinking is similar. You need all the thinking “pieces” to become the kind of person who can achieve great things. I believe that those pieces include eleven skills, which I’ve listed below. After each is a question you can ask yourself to measure your own thinking:
1. Cultivate Big-Picture Thinking
Am I thinking beyond myself and my world so that I process ideas with a holistic perspective?
2. Engage in Focused Thinking
Am I dedicated to removing distractions and mental clutter so that I can concentrate with clarity on the real issue?
3. Harness Creative Thinking
Am I working to break out of my “box,” exploring ideas and options, so I can experience creative breakthrough?
4. Employ Realistic Thinking
Am I building a solid foundation on facts so that I can think with certainty?
5. Utilize Strategic Thinking
Am I implementing strategic plans that give me direction for today and increase my potential for tomorrow?
6. Explore Possibility Thinking
Am I unleashing the enthusiasm of possibility thinking to find solutions for even seemingly impossible problems?
7. Learn from Reflective Thinking
Am I regularly revisiting the past to gain a true perspective and think with understanding?
8. Question Popular Thinking
Am I consciously rejecting the limitations of common thinking in order to accomplish uncommon results?
9. Benefit from Shared Thinking
Am I consistently searching the minds of others to think “over my head” and achieve compounding results?
10. Practice Unselfish Thinking
Am I continually considering others and their journey in order to think with maximum collaboration?
11. Rely on Bottom-Line Thinking
Do I stay focused on the bottom line so that I can gain the maximum return and reap the full potential of my thinking?
Based on your answers to the questions, where are you strongest? In what kind of thinking do you need to grow? Develop in any of those areas, and you’ll become a better thinker. Master all that you can—especially the process of shared thinking, which helps you compensate for your weak areas—and your life will change.
For specific guidance on developing as a good thinker, my book, How Successful People Think, devotes a chapter to each of the above skills. A companion workbook is also in the works.

SAVE YOURSELF; CHANGE THE WORLD

2010-10-18T00:43:00.000-07:00

Change the World, by first plugging-in NOW!
Live neither in the past nor in the future, but let each day’s work absorb your entire energies, and satisfy your widest ambition.
- Sir William Osler

Everything in life happens for a reason. We all seem to agree with that statement. It is however important to know that it is not a priority for us to know why it is happening at that particular moment in time. The most important of all is to plug-in completely, whole-heartedly & unreservedly in that moment. Live in the moment as opposed to for the moment for nothing in life occurs by chance. In cognition of this, the reason will reveal itself to you in due time & in that moment you will realize that you were experiencing that situation to equip you to one day, change the world!

- David Wainaina Kuria

What to do when you feel alone? Call on God! (Excert "Friendship with God)

2010-10-18T00:30:00.000-07:00

What you can do if you are imagining that you are alone is to come to Me.
Come to Me in the depths of your soul. Talk to Me from your heart. Companion with Me in your mind. I will be with you, and you will know it.

If you have been making daily contact with Me, this will be easier. Yet even if you have not, I will not fail you, but be with you the moment you call to Me. For this is My promise: Even before you call My name, I will be there.
That is because I am always there, and your very decision to call My name merely elevates your awareness of Me.

Once you are aware of Me, your sadness will leave you. For sadness and God
cannot exist in the same place, because God is Life Energy, turned up as high as it will go, and sadness is Life Energy turned down.

Therefore, when I come to you, do not turn Me down!

Every time you have a hunch about something and ignore it, you turn Me down.

Every time you receive an offer to put an end to bad feelings, or cease a conflict, and ignore it, you turn Me down.

Every time you do not return the smile of a stranger, walk under the awesome wonder of a night sky and don’t look up, pass a flower bed without stopping to behold its beauty, you turn Me down.

Every time you hear My voice, or feel the presence of a departed loved one, and say it’s just your imagination, you turn Me down.

Every time you feel love for another in your soul, or feel a song in your heart, or see a grand vision in your mind, and do nothing about it, you turn Me down.

Every time you find yourself reading just the right book, or hearing just the right sermon, or watching just the right movie, or running into just the right friend, at Just the right time in your life, and write it off to coincidence or serendipity or “luck,” you turn Me down.

And I tell you this: before the cock crows three times, some of you will deny Me.

How to Help God (excerpt from "Friendship with God" CWG books)

2010-10-18T00:28:00.000-07:00

Now here is how you can help God. Live your life deliberately, harmoniously, and beneficially. These three ways of living you can accomplish by using the gifts I have given you: creative energy, gentle wisdom, and pure love.

Creative energy has been placed by Me in your entire being, and in everything that proceeds from it. Thoughts, words, and deeds are the Three Tools of Creation. When you know this, you can choose to be the cause of your experience, rather than being at the effect of it.

Life proceeds out of your intentions for it. When you are aware of this, you can live your life deliberately. The things you think, you think deliberately. The things you say, you say deliberately. The things you do, you do deliberately.
When you do something and people say, “You did that deliberately!” it will not be an accusation, but a compliment.

Everything you do, you do on purpose—and your purpose in every moment of your life is, indeed, to live the grandest version of the greatest vision ever you held about Who You Are. When you use creative energy, you help God be more of what God is, and seeks to experience of Itself.

Gentle wisdom has been placed by Me in your soul. When you use this gift, you live harmoniously in any situation. Your very Being is harmony itself.
Harmony means feeling the vibration of the moment, of the person, place, or circumstance you are now experiencing, and blending with it. Blending does not mean matching. Singing in harmony does not mean singing in unison. It does mean singing together.

When you sing in harmony, you change the way the entire song is sung. It
becomes a new song, a different song. This is the song of the soul, and there is none more beautiful.
Bring a gentle wisdom to your moments. Watch it change them. Watch it change
you.

You have that gentle wisdom within you. I have placed it there, and it has never left you. Call on it in times of difficulty and stress, in times of decision or enmity, and it will be there. For when you call on it, you call on Me. When you use gentle wisdom, you help God be more of what God is, and seeks to experience of Itself.

Pure love has been placed by Me in every human heart.
It is that which I Am, and which You Are. Your heart is filled with this love to overflowing. It is bursting. Your whole Self is permeated by it. It is composed of it.

Pure love is Who You Are.

When you express pure love, you give yourself the direct experience of Who You Are. It is the greatest gift. It looks as if you are giving a gift to others, and you are giving it to your Self. That is because there is no one else in the room. It only looks as if there is. Pure love allows you to see the truth.

When you come from a place of pure love, you live a life that is beneficial to
everyone. You make sure that everyone benefits from your having been here. “Kindness” becomes an important word to you. Suddenly, you understand its deeper meaning.

Kindness means not only goodness, it means sameness. You realize when you live in pure love that you and all others are of “like kind.” You are truly kin, and now, suddenly, you see that when you express pure love you are expressing kindness.
This is what it means to be a kin-dred spirit. This is what it is to know a Oneness with all things. And when, in any circumstance or situation, you use pure love, you help God be more of what God is, and seeks to experience of Itself.
You help God when you help yourself to God. So have a big helping. Help yourself to as much of God as you like. For this is the food of life, by which all things are nourished.

Take, and eat of this, for this is My body.

You are all members of that One body. And it is time, now, to re-member.
I would not tell this to you if it were not so.

This is the greatest truth, so help Me God.

Mind Vs. Heart - The conversation

2010-10-18T00:26:00.000-07:00

In the abruptness of life precious moments, when I am entangled with the busyness of my mind,
My Heart begins to call…
“When is my turn going to come?” “When are going to let me be your light?”
(Be my light? Your turn?)
Heart Continues: “You keep running ; reasoning and questioning, keeping the mind first”!
“When are you going to let me help you?”
“I am Here!” – “Speaking to you with my feelings”.
“relaying to you honest answers to your deep inquisitions.But you rarely
let me guide you.I have always been here , ready to help you, help us make way through the maze but…”
(PAUSE)
(What?)
Heart continues: “…But you seldom do; save the moments when its all said and done that you vow to start listening to me”.
(Guilt feelings start welling up in me)
“That’s the soul sharing my pain and gently letting you know”
“ Its okay ; I understand. But if there is one thing I may ask of you to promise me…..”

(Uhuh..)

“TRUST ME!”

(But I do)

“Yes, But not Always”

(Okay)

“No,seriously..”

(I am Serious)

“Trust me. For I know you”

(Okay. I will try)

“Don’t try. Trust Me”.

“Don’t think about trusting me.Thats the mind telling you about me. Let me tell you about me, which is you.Always and in All ways.God lives here and when I say that I know you; Trust Me, I know You!”
“So promise to trust me?”

(PROMISE)

Thank you.

"Be still and Know that I am God"

2010-09-28T02:58:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends, I saw this interesting article by Jason Jackson and thought I share it with you.see more on the link provided.Regards and God Bless.

“If you were running for your life, would it matter?” That was General Odum’s motto; he learned to put everyday problems into perspective, weighing them against his World War II experiences. Captured by Rommel’s infamous Afrika Korps, Odum later escaped when the German plane transporting him and other prisoners of war was shot down by Allied Forces over France. After a month of hiding and dodging Nazis, the skin-and-bones Odum finally met up with friendly troops. He learned what few things really matter when you’re running for your life.

Where do you run to when you need a safe place to hide? I’ve never had to hide like General (this was his name, not his rank); most of us haven’t. But whether we realize it or not, a greater threat is here. Life in the flesh is a perilous time, because greater than any physical danger is the demoralizing presence of our adversary, the devil. Remember Peter’s warning: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). [All Scripture references are from the ESV unless otherwise noted.]

In addition to the sin-danger with which men flirt to the point of madness, one’s world can fall apart instantly. The English poet Alfred Tennyson felt the common plight when he wrote, “Never morning wore to evening, but some heart did not break.” If your world falls apart, to whom shall you go? As the steady North Star provides orientation in darkness, so the forty-sixth Psalm is higher ground for the worn soul seeking refuge.
The Psalm Introduced

Psalm 46 divides into three sections as indicated by the contemplative selah after each group of verses. In the first section (vv. 1-3), there is an opening declaration that God is our refuge and strength; therefore, the Lord’s people need not fear even in the bleakest of circumstances, illustrated by a crumbling earth and turbulent sea that surrounds and threatens God’s people. In the second part (vv. 4-7), the city of God is the calm in the storm. The nations surge, hostilities rage, but the voice of Jehovah subdues them.

The refrain expresses the rationale for hope when there is none: “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (v. 7). The last part (vv. 8-11) invites the people of God to consider God’s past interventions in the affairs of men as solid evidence of his abiding presence, again concluding with the encouraging affirmation, “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (v. 11). He marshals the armies (i.e., “hosts”) of heaven to do his bidding; he is the true God who involved himself in Jacob’s life, providing gracious blessings and protection to the fulfillment of his promises. Thus, he is the God who is willing to use his power on behalf of his people to fulfill the gracious promises that he has made. He is with us!
The Psalm Investigated

If you love Psalm 23, you’ll love Psalm 46. J. Clinton McCann Jr. noted the similarities between these psalms—a soul-stirring thread—when he wrote: “Like Psalm 23, the fundamental affirmation of Psalm 46 is the assurance of God’s presence” (1993, 136). How we cherish the knowledge of his presence; many of our hymns reflect the treasured thought, “God with us” (“A Wonderful Savior,” “A Mighty Fortress,” “Rock of Ages,” etc.).

The reader should understand much of the Old Testament language and background of this psalm, and an extensive line-by-line consideration of such will have to remain unexplored in this present study. Such a neglect here does not reflect a lack of appreciation for the general historical context and rich Hebrew poetry that characterizes this psalm. However, this ancient poem, given and preserved by God, fittingly describes issues that transcend the dispensations and are relevant to men of every age. This study will focus upon such matters. Just as the prophet announced for God, “For I, Jehovah, change not; therefore ye, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed” (Malachi 3:6, ASV), we realize that the God of Jacob is with us—Christians. Rather than alter our view on Psalm 46, the New Testament enhances our appreciation of the vivid truths revealed in this great psalm.
Our Confidence

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (v. 1, ASV). He, and he alone, is the ultimate security. He is exceedingly ready and available for us in trouble—in practice, not in mere theory. Paul motivated Christians to pursue heavenly things: “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). There is no other place like it; nothing comes close. Trouble will find you, so flee to the fortress of souls.

Since God is the one to whom we can flee—who protects us without and strengthens us within—we will not fear. The defiance of faith in uncertainty and peril is justified, because God is with us: “Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth do change, and though the mountains be shaken into the heart of the seas; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains tremble with the swelling thereof” (vv. 2-3, ASV).

Observe the words “change,” “shaken,” “roar,” “troubled,” and “tremble.” The situation is desperate since the earth appears to be on the brink of destruction. The figures describe the worst-case scenario; the most dreaded thing is happening. Even if the world should crumble beneath our feet, we will not wonder: “Has God forsaken us?” In fact, we will not fear; he is with us. The psalm admits that the Lord’s own are not immune from trouble (cf. Hebrews 5:8-9). We live in an unstable world, an environment hazarded by sin’s curse. He sustains us in the midst of trouble, and that is what a person needs to know as he lives with a view toward better days.
Our Calmness

Abruptly, a surreal tranquility is painted by words of calmness and confidence: “There is a river, the streams wherefore make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High” (v. 4, ASV). In contrast to the chaos, there is the calm, pure river, which is the source from which the streams (i.e., canals) irrigate, bring life, and add beauty in the very city of God—the place of his tabernacles (note the plural “dwelling places”). His presence is like the river—life-giving and sustaining. Naturally, since he is the Most High (cf. 97:9).

Those who reside in God’s city (i.e., in a covenant, saved relationship with God) are blessed because he is there: “God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God will help her, and that right early” (v. 5). Or to express the thought in another way, “No water can swallow the ship where lies the Master of ocean and earth and skies.”

Unparalleled stability results from the abiding presence of God. Therefore, gladness characterizes God’s city, even though nations topple around her because of foreign aggression. If she trusts in him, if she is faithful to him, she shall not be moved. What can he do? “He uttered his voice, the earth melted” (v. 6).

The psalmist’s confidence may stem from recent manifestations of God’s awesome presence and intervention. A. F. Kirkpatrick was convinced that Psalm 46 celebrates the delivery of Jerusalem when 185,000 Assyrian corpses littered the environs of Jerusalem—thanks to the Angel of Jehovah. He wrote, “The miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem from the army of Sennacherib in the reign of Hezekiah (B.C. 701) may be assigned as the occasion of these Psalms [i.e., 46, 47, 48], with a probability which approaches certainty” (1906, 253).

Albert Barnes appeared equally convinced, but less emphatic (1950, 40). In actuality, the Bible relates many interventions of the Lord on behalf of his people, including 2 Kings 19. These “intrusions” reveal that the true and living God has made his presence felt for his people; accordingly, the point that he is not far from us has been substantiated on numerous occasions since the beginning of time (cf. Acts 17:27-28; Romans 15:1-5). We may not know with certainty the immediate circumstances behind this psalm, but we do know, “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
Our Conviction

Psalm 46 not only affirms the reality of God’s presence, it also invites men to behold the evidence: “Come, behold the works of Jehovah, what desolations he hath made in the earth” (v. 8). He has broken the weapons of war; he rules in the kingdoms of men. The plagues of Egypt, the walls of Jericho, the victories of Gideon, the defeat of Goliath, the fiery furnace, Daniel’s lions, and scores of other divine manifestations are a testimony to the fact that God, who does not change, has the same concern for us today as he had for his children of former days.

Our most important consideration, however, is not our skin—it’s our soul. More important than our biological life is our spiritual life (cf. Matthew 10:28). This world is not all there is nor all that matters. When sin takes hold of us, or circumstances overwhelm us, it is God to whom we must flee. Run to him in your heart and mind—what you know of God, heaven, eternity, and judgment. Hope will sustain you in the darkest hour.
The Psalm Incorporated

If we adopt the thinking of Psalm 46, should we expect a miraculous deliverance from trouble? No. First, God does not need to work a miracle to help us in trouble. Second, the miracles of the past continue to teach us (cf. John 20:30-31); their repetition is unnecessary for the accomplishment of his will. Trust in him, believe in him, for the Lord has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Do you believe him?

You also must “come, behold the works of the Lord” (v. 8). Come, behold the baby of a virgin; come, behold the daughter of Jairus; come to the tomb of Lazarus; come to Gethsemane; come, behold the crown of thorns; behold the empty tomb. Jesus Christ has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (2 Timothy 1:10). “So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:6).

Isn’t that what we want to know? That if the world falls apart, if the unthinkable happens, in the end we’ll be saved? Paul, in a Psalm 46 frame of mind, says also, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32). Significantly, neither the psalmist nor Paul were students of Campbell, Stone, or McGarvey; but, contrary to the voices of change that necessary inference is a modern invention, both inspired writers invite us to draw necessary inferences about God’s love and presence in our lives based on what God has done in the past.

Thus, calm confidence should adorn God’s people—no matter what. “Be still, and know that I am God” (v. 10, ASV). God’s people are commanded to “be still.” The imperative gives a solemn duty to those in a covenant relationship with God (cf. Galatians 3:26-29). The duty represents a spiritual disposition that ought to characterize those to whom God’s unfailing promises have been given. “Be still” considers that we are finite and that God is infinite. That being the case, we need to drop our hands, go limp, relax, and “chill out.” This spiritual calm that God commands does not come from a lack of troubles; it derives from a steady, deep reflection on the ways God has intervened in history on behalf of his people (cf. Romans 15:4).

God’s past provides calm for our future. He is the ruler of kingdoms of this earth and the all-powerful Creator of the universe. We may be pressed, perplexed, and pursued, but not unto despair (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9). If you are the last man or woman standing, be still, stand fast, be strong. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth do change” (vv. 1-2).
Sources/Footnotes

* Barnes, Albert. 1950. Notes on the Old Testament: Explanatory and Practical. Vol. 2. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker.
*
* Kirkpatrick, A. F. 1906. The Book of Psalms. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
*
* McCann, J. Clinton, Jr. 1993. A Theological Introduction to the Book of Psalms. Nashville, TN: Abingdon.

GOD MOMENT

2010-08-22T23:03:00.000-07:00

I have been blessed and privileged to learn of the concept of “God moment” .This is the word that I have given to the phenomenon of the ever present God and Godliness in every moment of every time called Now in my life. Let me explain. It is the idea that “God is in the details”. The bottom-line. The All –in-All. God is actually in my waking up, In my morning prayer, In eating of my breakfast, in the choosing and wearing of my clothes, in my boarding of the matatu in the morning, in reading of my favorite magazine, my chatting of friends at work, in the lunch hour break and in choosing what I am planning to eat, In the thought of entertaining the afternoon siesta, in rushing home to avoid the jam..You get drift. God is in everything and everywhere. In other words, God ,in his divine foreknowledge, perceives your every thought, word and action and He is there when you are in your present in that thought, word and action and in the after. That why He describes Himself as the I AM. The Always and Ever Self-Existing God…and here’s the good part and my point exactly, THROUGH US.I really hope you are following this .For God to be God experientially, He waits on us to be in us so as we can be God on this earth and present in this life .WOW!!! I am just as excited about this now as I was 3 days ago when I came to “know” i.e. to be aware of it. Here was my predicament: - I always thought of God being up there in Heaven. And me here on earth. And in the true sense, it is actually that way; Talk of Divine Dichotomy. But the “God moment” applies thus, when I am “AWAKE” (emphasis added) to my NOW and become consciously aware of God’s foreknowledge of this “moment” I am calling Now, I have no option but be in this moment as it is the Will of God for me now. Get It? Please God, Help me put this clearly. Look here dear one, you reading this; God is the one writing this words to you, ofcourse through me and He is the one causing you to read this and making you understand. Thus, we are in the will of God. Let me say this now, “it is easier said than done”. So it will be hard at times trying to consciously “be in the moment “ but when you are, all frustrations will subside. Trust Me!!! So just Be and comprehend the Majesty and the Awesomeness of God and life. So to say in a nutshell- Try BEing “Present” in every moment you have as “Now” and by that I mean, “Releasing and Giving up of yourself to God” in mind and body and spirit and see what happens. That is why we are called Human Beings and not Human Doings. NOTE: - I am referring to the TRUE GOD. Who is Spirit in nature and who is worshipped in Spirit and Truth. The Great I AM. God the Father, Whose son, Jesus Christ died for my sins and I am now a partaker of eternal life. That is the God I am referring to. So I am always aware of God being here and now and not only when I am praying or going to church or sharing Him when I am with my pals. He is always there; All ways! And personally I believe this is how Jesus Christ was Consciously while He was on this earth. That why He could say in John 5:19 in reference to his accusation by the Jews as to why he was healing on the Sabbath. “…I tell you the truth, The Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father(GOD) doing, because whatever the Father does the son also does” So since we are the sons of God in Jesus Christ, We can do also the same. Be what God want you to BE at this particular moment. Always and in every moment. So go ahead and heal someone, Bless someone, Be rich, Be happy, Be that which God wants you to be NOW! For Now is the Time for Salvation! God Bless You.

SUCCESS 101 - Quotes from "16 laws of success" - Napoloen Hill

2010-06-20T23:45:00.000-07:00

The most successful men and women on earth have had to correct certain weak spots in their personalities before they began to succeed. The most outstanding of these weaknesses which stand between men and women and success are INTOLERANCE, CUPIDITY, GREED, JEALOUSY, SUSPICION, REVENGE, EGOTISM, CONCEIT, THE TENDENCY TO REAP WHERE THEY HAVE NOT SOWN, and the HABIT OF SPENDING MORE THAN THEY EARN.

"Master Mind," - meaning - a mind that is developed through the harmonious co-operation of two or more people who ally themselves for the purpose of accomplishing any given task.

If you are engaged in the business of selling you may profitably experiment with this law of the "Master Mind" in your daily work. It has been found that a group of six or seven salespeople may use the law so effectively that their sales may be increased tounbelievableproportions.

NO MAN HAS A CHANCE TO ENJOY PERMANENT SUCCESS UNTIL HE BEGINS TO LOOK IN A MIRROR FOR THE REAL CAUSE OF ALL HIS MISTAKES.
- Napoleon Hill

In any of the great cities of the United States one may purchase merchandise of similar nature and price in scores of stores, yet you will find there is always one outstanding store which does more business than any of the others, and the reason for this is that back of that store is a man, or men, who has attended to the personalities of those who come in contact with the public. People buy personalities as much as merchandise, and it is a question if they are not influenced more by the personalities with which they come in contact than they are by the merchandise.

Success, is "the attainment of your Definite Chief Aim without violating the rights of other people."

Regardless of what your major aim in life may be, you will attain it with much less difficulty after you learn how to cultivate a pleasing personality and after you have learned the delicate art of allying yourself with others in a given undertaking without friction or envy.

One of the greatest problems of life, if not, in fact, the greatest, is that of learning the art of harmonious negotiation with others.

You cannot enjoy outstanding success in life without power, and you can never enjoy power without sufficient personality to influence other people to cooperate with you in a spirit of harmony.

Your definite chief aim in life should be selected with deliberate care, and after it has been selected it should be written out and placed where you will see it at least once a day, the psychological effect of which is to impress this purpose upon your subconscious mind so strongly that it accepts that purpose as a pattern or blueprint that will eventually dominate your activities in life and lead you, step by step, toward the attainment of the object back of that purpose.

The principle of psychology through which you can impress your definite chief aim upon your subconscious mind is called Auto-suggestion, or suggestion which you repeatedly make to yourself.

Be sure that your definite purpose is constructive; that its attainment will bring hardship and misery to no one; that it will bring you peace and prosperity, then apply, to the limit of your understanding, the principle of self-suggestion for the speedy attainment of this purpose.

The subconscious mind may be likened to a magnet, and when it has been vitalized and thoroughly saturated with any definite purpose it has a decided tendency to attract all that is necessary for the fulfillment of that purpose. Like attracts like, and you may see evidence of this law in every blade of grass and every growing tree. The acorn attracts from the soil and the air the necessary materials out of which to grow an oak tree. It never grows a tree that is part oak and part poplar. Every grain of wheat that is planted in the soil attracts the materials out of which to grow a stalk of wheat. It never makes a mistake and grows both oats and wheat on the same stalk. And men are subject, also, to this same Law of Attraction.

All of which leads up to this statement:
That you will attract to you people who harmonize with your own philosophy of life, whether you wish it or not.

It is your privilege - nay, your DUTY, to aim high in life. You owe it to yourself and to the community in which you live to set a high standard for yourself.

There is much evidence to justify the belief that nothing within reason is beyond the possibility of attainment by the man whose definite chief aim has been well developed.

No undesirable environment is strong enough to hold the man or woman who understands how to apply the principle of Auto-suggestion in the creation of a definite chief aim. Such a person can throw off the shackles of poverty; destroy the most deadly disease germs; rise from a lowly station in life to power and plenty.

All great leaders base their leadership upon a definite chief aim. Followers are willing followers when they know that their leader is a person with a definite chief aim who has the courage to back up that purpose with action. Even a balky horse knows when a driver with a definite chief aim takes hold of the reins; and yields to that driver. When a man with a definite chief aim starts through a crowd everybody stands aside and makes a way for him, but let a man hesitate and show by his actions that he is not sure which way he wants to go and the crowd will step all over his toes and refuse to budge an inch out of his way.

any idea you firmly fix in your subconscious mind, by repeated affirmation, automatically becomes a plan or blueprint which an unseen power uses in directing your efforts toward the attainment of the objective named - in the plan.
You have also learned that the principle through which you may fix any idea you choose in your mind is called Auto-suggestion, which simply means a suggestion that you give to your own mind.
You might well remember that Nothing can bring you success but yourself.

No one is going to pay much attention to the person who has no confidence in himself.
He does not attract others because his mind is a negative force that repels rather than attracts.

SELF-CONFIDENCE FORMULA
First: I know that I have the ability to achieve the object of my definite purpose, therefore I demand of myself persistent, aggressive and continuous action toward its attainment.
Second: I realize that the dominating thoughts of my mind eventually reproduce themselves in outward, bodily action, and gradually transform themselves into physical reality, therefore I will concentrate My mind for thirty minutes daily upon the task of thinking of the person I intend to be, by creating a mental picture of this person and then transforming that picture into reality through practical service.

Third: I know that through the principle of Auto-suggestion, any desire that I persistently hold in my mind will eventually seek expression through some practical means of realizing it, therefore I shall devote ten minutes daily to demanding of myself the development of the factors named in the sixteen lessons of this Reading Course on the Law of Success.

Fourth: I have clearly mapped out and written down a description of my definite purpose in life, for the coming five years. I have set a price on my services for each of these five years; a price that I intend to earn and receive, through strict application of the principle of efficient, satisfactory service which I will render in advance.

Fifth: I fully realize that no wealth or position can long endure unless built upon truth and justice, therefore I will engage in no transaction which does not benefit all whom it affects. 1 will succeed by attracting to me the forces I wish to use, and the co-operation of other people. I will induce others to serve me because I will first serve them. I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness and cynicism by developing love for all humanity, because I know that a negative attitude toward others can never bring me success. I will cause others to believe in me because I will believe in them and in myself.

I will sign my name to this formula, commit it to memory and repeat it aloud once a day with full faith that it will gradually influence my entire life so that I will become a successful and happy worker in my chosen field of endeavor.
Signed……………………………………….

Before you sign your name to this formula make sure that you intend to carry out its instructions. Back of this formula lies a law that no man can explain. The psychologists refer to this law as Auto-suggestion and let it go at that, but you should bear in mind one point about which there is no uncertainty, and that is the fact that whatever this law is it actually works! Another point to be kept in mind is the fact that, just as electricity will turn the wheels of industry and serve mankind in a million other ways, or snuff out life if wrongly applied, so will this principle of Auto-suggestion lead you up the mountain-side of peace and prosperity, or down into the valley of misery and poverty, according to the application you make of it. If you fill your mind with doubt and unbelief in your ability to achieve, then the principle of Auto-suggestion takes this spirit of unbelief and sets it up in your subconscious mind as your dominating thought and slowly but surely draws you into the whirlpool of failure. But, if you fill your mind with radiant Self-confidence, the principle of Auto-suggestion takes this belief and sets it up as your dominating thought and helps you master the obstacles that fall in your way until you reach the mountain-top of success.
We are the victims of our habits, no matter who we are or what may be our life-calling. Any idea that is deliberately fixed in the mind, or any idea that is permitted to set itself up in the mind, as the result of suggestion, environment, the influence of associates, etc., is sure to cause us to indulge in acts which conform to the nature of the idea.
Form the habit of thinking and talking of prosperity and abundance, and very soon material evidence of these will begin to manifest itself in the nature of wider opportunity and new and unexpected opportunity.

YOU are a human magnet and you are constantly attracting to you people whose characters harmonize with your own.

Debt is a merciless master, a fatal enemy of the savings habit.

Poverty, alone, is sufficient to kill off ambition, destroy self-confidence and destroy hope, but add to it the burden of debt and all who are victims of these two cruel task-masters are practically doomed to failure.

No man can do his best work, no man can express himself in terms that command respect, no man can either create or carry out a definite purpose in life, with heavy debt hanging over his head. The man who is bound in the slavery of debt is just as helpless as the slave who is bound by ignorance, or by actual chains.
It is a terrible thing even to think of going through life like a prisoner in chains, bound down and owned by somebody else on account of debts. The accumulation of debts is a habit. It starts in a small way and grows to enormous proportions slowly, step by step, until finally it takes charge of one's very soul.

The Fear of Poverty is one of the most destructive of the six basic fears. The man who becomes hopelessly in debt is seized with this poverty fear, his ambition and self-confidence become paralyzed, and he sinks gradually into oblivion.

No sacrifice is too great to avoid the misery of debt!
"Think of what you owe yourself and those who are dependent upon you and resolve to be no man's debtor,"

There are two classes of debts, and these are so different in nature that they deserve to be here described, as follows:

1. There are debts incurred for luxuries which become a dead loss.
2. There are debts incurred in the course of professional or business trading which represent service or merchandise that can be converted back into assets.

The first class of debts is the one to be avoided. The second class may be indulged in, providing the one incurring the debts uses judgment and does not go beyond the bounds of reasonable limitation. The moment one buys beyond his limitations he enters the realm of speculation, and speculation swallows more of its victims than it enriches.

The slavery of debt causes more suicides every year than all other causes combined, which is a slight indication of the cruelty of the poverty fear.

WHO told you it couldn't be done? and, what great achievement has he to his credit that entitles him to use the word "impossible" so freely?

HOW TO MASTER THE FEAR OF POVERTY

To whip the Fear of Poverty one must take two very definite steps, providing one is in debt. First, quit the habit of buying on credit, and follow this by gradually paying off the debts that you have already incurred.

Being free from the worry of indebtedness you are ready to revamp the habits of your mind and re-direct your course toward prosperity. Adopt, as a part of your Definite Chief Aim, the habit of saving a regular proportion of your income, even if this be no more than a penny a day. Very soon this habit will begin to lay hold of your mind and you will actually get joy out of saving.

Any habit may be discontinued by building in its place some other and more desirable habit. The "spending" habit must be replaced by the "saving" habit by all who attain financial independence.

Merely to discontinue an undesirable habit is not enough, as such habits have a tendency to reappear unless the place they formerly occupied in the mind is filled by some other habit of a different nature. The discontinuance of a habit leaves a "hole" in the mind, and this hole must be filled up with some other form of habit or the old one will return and claim its place.

The accumulation of money is not difficult after you have once mastered the Fear of Poverty and developed in its place the Habit of Saving.

Thomas A. Edison is one of the best known and most respected inventors in the world, yet it is no misstatement of facts to say that he would have remained a practically unknown, obscure personage had he not followed the habit of conserving his resources and shown his ability to save money.

Henry Ford never would have got to first base with his "horseless carriage" had he not developed, quite early in life, the habit of saving. Moreover, had Mr. Ford not conserved his resources and hedged himself behind their power he would have been "swallowed up" by his competitors or those who covetously desired to take his business away from him, long, long years ago.

Many a man has gone a very long way toward success, only to stumble and fall, never again to rise, because of lack of money in times of emergency. The mortality rate in business each year, due to lack of reserve capital for emergencies, is stupendous. To this one cause are due more of the business failures than to all other causes combined!

Reserve Funds are essential in the successful operation of business! Likewise, Savings Accounts are essential to success on the part of individuals. Without a savings fund the individual suffers in two ways: first, by inability to seize opportunities that come only to the person with some ready cash, and, second, by embarrassment due to some unexpected emergency calling for cash

Scientific Proof that the Bible is True!

2010-05-27T01:39:00.000-07:00

The Holy Bible contains scientific information that was not known by man at the time of writing! In many cases it was only discovered recently. Let us break them down now:

Please allow me to start with this statement that the The True Holy Bible (mark my words please because there are many books around claiming to be “True Bibles”!) contains no scientific errors in its 66 books! Amazing! I know you may be asking yourself, why, and how does he know that! Well, don’t get ahead of me now, am about to prove to you all these. Just move with me…..
Whenever the Bible makes a scientific statement, it is always proven correct after man has discovered all the relevant facts. In the Library of the Louvre in Paris there are 3.5 miles of obsolete science books on the shelves. In 1861 the French Academy of Science published a list of 51 "scientific facts" which supposedly “contradicted the Bible”. Today all 51 of these "facts" are unacceptable to modern scientists!! Intereting indeed!!
The Holy Bible contains scientific information that was not known by man at the time of writing! In many cases it was only discovered recently. At this stage the question that might be lingering in your mind is: How did the Bible possess knowledge not yet discovered by man? Well, the one and only answer stands to be God authored the Bible, and revealed information not yet known to man, so that the world would know that the Bible is God's Word, coming from a mind much greater than man's.
Having mentioned all these, then what examples of scientific facts revealed in the Bible, were unknown to man at the time of writing? Am glad you asked. Let us break them down now:
1. The Earth Hangs in Space.
"He hangs the earth upon nothing." Job 26:7 stated 1500BC.
2. Earth at any time is part day-time and part night.
When the moment of Christ's second coming to earth is discussed in Luke 17:31-36, Christ's return interrupts people sleeping at night on one part of the earth, and interrupts others in the daytime grinding at the mill or working in the field. How did Jesus Christ know that the earth at any point of time is half dark and half light? Because He is the all-knowing God
3. Cloud Balancing.
"Dost thou know the balancing of the clouds?" Job 37:16.
Clouds are floating in the air, balanced by two forces: gravity pulling them downwards, and
warm air pushing them upwards. How did Job know about this in 1500 BC? God told him.
4. Telephone Communication.
"Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, here we are?" Job 38:35.
When we dial a telephone number, an electric current (lightning or electricity as we know it) moves through a wire to our friend's telephone, which rings a bell. The telephone works exactly as Job, yet man did not invent it until 1876. God revealed the telephone to Job in 1520BC, 3400 years before AG Bell invented it.
5. Very Great Number of Stars.
"As the host of heaven cannot be numbered." Jeremiah 33:22 in 590 BC.
"He (God) telleth the number of stars; he calleth them all by their names." Psalm 147:4.
Ptolemy in 150AD dogmatically said that 1056 stars existed. Scientists now estimate that there are around 1011 x 1011 stars, and this is only a guess since are still being discovered.
6. The Height of Stars.

"Behold the height of the stars, how high they are." Job 22:12.

Man did not realize how high and far the stars are until Bessel in 1838 measured the distances of stars using the parallax method. Alpha Centauri, earth's nearest star is 4 x 1013 kms (40,000 billion kms) away. It would take you 10 million years to get there if you could travel there in your motorcar at 100 km per hour!

7. Pleiades Constellation is a Bound cluster , not breaking up.

"Canst thou bind the sweet influences (cluster) of Pleiades?" Job 38:31.
In 1520 BC, God said that the Pleiades star cluster is bound together in a highly stable group. Today using high-powered telescopes, this has been shown to be true. It is a bound cluster of about 500 stars, 50 light years across and 410 light years away from earth. Also, photographs reveal that some of it's stars are veiled in a faint transparent blue haze of gas and dust, which beautifully reflect the glory of the stars in the cluster with their various colours. The cluster is indeed "sweet" in colour as God said in Job 38:31. How did the Bible know these two details, which are not observable to the naked eye? The all-knowing God Who created the stars, authored the Bible.

8. Orion's Bands are loosed.

"Canst thou loose the bands of Orion?" Job 38:31

The constellation of Orion is a star system that is steadily expanding outwards. The gravitational “bands" holding the constellation together have indeed been loosed, just as God told Job. Orion is 350 light years across and 1600 light years from earth. This expansion is not observable to the naked eye. How could the Bible tell the difference between two star systems in 1600 BC? Well, by now I know for sure you can guess..

9. Spherical Earth.

“It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth." Isaiah 40:22.
"..when he set a compass upon the face of the depth. " Proverbs 8:27.

Circle 2329 = Compass 2329 in Hebrew is "Khoog" = to describe a circle, or circuit, meaning the horizon which is circular. In 712 BC, when Isaiah wrote this, people thought that the earth was flat, and that you could sail over the edge of it and fall off. Columbus and Magellan proved that the earth was circular by sailing around it in a circle from East to West and then returning to the point of departure!

10. Treasures of the Snow.

"Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?” Job 38:22.

Snow crystals are invisible to the naked eye, but under a microscope every snow crystal is different! No two snow crystals are the same! They are all beautiful 6-sided patterns, just like exquisite treasures.

11. The Bloodstream Carries Life.

"The life of the flesh is in the blood." Leviticus 17:11.

From 400 BC to 1900 AD, a procedure called "blood letting" was popular. Sick people had blood drained from their bloodstream as a supposed therapeutic measure. It was responsible for killing millions of people, such as George Washington. People thought that blood carried disease instead of life! By draining the blood, the patient died of blood loss. Now we give blood to some sick patients. The Bible was right again.

12. Fountains Under the Sea.

"Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea?" Job 38:16.
"When he strengthened the fountains of the deep." Proverbs 8:28.

There are at least 10,000 known underwater volcanoes, adding extra water to the oceans of 430 million tons each year!

13. The Water Cycle.

"All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from where the rivers
come, there they return again." Ecclesiestes 1:7.

Rain falls on the coast, runs down the rivers into the oceans, evaporates into clouds, and is blown back to land. It then rains, thus repeating what is known as the water cycle.

14. The Sun is the Source of the Earth's Wind Systems.

"By what way is the light parted, which scatters the east wind upon the earth?” Job 38:24.

Wind is caused by the uneven heating of the air around the earth by the sun . The sun also heats the surface of the earth unevenly. Air above hot areas (such as land) expands and rises. Air from cooler areas then flows in to take the place of heated air. This is called circulation.

15. Light can be Parted or Dispersed into a Rainbow Spectrum.

"By what way is the light parted " Job 38:24.

"Parted" in Hebrew is "chalaq ”
which means, "separated". White light can be separated into 7 colours of the spectrum which are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. This was not understood until experiments with light were performed in the 1600's.

16. Winds blow in Circuits

Ecclesiastes 1:6 “The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.”

At the equator, the sun heats the air causing it to rise. In the upper atmosphere this air flows away from the equator. When the air returns to the earth's surface, it flows across the surface. This moving surface air produces the six belts of prevailing winds around the earth.

17. The First Law of Thermodynamics states that no new matter or energy is being created in the known universe; it is only being interconverted from one form to another!

"On the seventh day God ended his work which He had made." Genesis 2:2.

18. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that the disorder of the universe is increasing. Systems are running from a high to a low state of energy. "They (the earth and heavens) all shall wax old as doth a garment. And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail." (Hebrews 1:11,12.)

Scientists admit that with all the energy that the sun burns up, it must become cold one day in the distant future. The same must happen to all stars. This is called the "heat death of the universe." Without solar heat, life on earth could not exist.

CONCLUSION:

The True Holy Bible (mark my words please because there are many books around claiming to be “True Bibles”!) not only includes that which is scientifically correct, but it is The True Word of God, The TRUTH. Imagine this, that the ancient Egyptians believed that the world was hatched from a great cosmic egg which had wings!!! Without any shadow of a doubt I confidently conclude that the all-knowing Creator God authored the Bible. This is a powerful argument to warrant our complete confidence in the Bible's truth and reliability on every other issue of life.
So having read and understood all these dear reader, what is your opinion?

When God cries

2010-03-07T01:16:00.000-08:00

He who made the will gave it to us , His precious sons and daughters , freely.
He who made us out of the abundance of His Love, gave us the breathe of life to manifest His Glory with His Free will.

When we were yet to be born, as infant spirits, He beheld us in the comforts of His Heavenly dwellings.
As one, then we divinely agreed to go into the world to become the physical expression of Him.
Being God, He gave us the liberty to choose to become Him on earth through the Holy Spirit within us.
Conversely, to fail to become this truth, the opposite would hold true and become a reality. i.e. We would choose to become who He is not and hence we would be who we are not by the denial of the Holy spirit in our lives; the guide of God in our hearts that our souls know very well.

With this foreknowledge, God understood we would not remember the “agreement” we had made once we become flesh and enter into the world and to this end, He sent His Only Son. To re-mind us who we were before we became. To bring us back into remembrance. “To re-member us” i.e. to attach us back to the original; In spirit as we dwell here on earth. Being God on earth in order to manifest His will, our will on earth, as it is in Heaven. And Jesus came and showed us the way and the truth and the life albeit at a very high cost. And so we re-membered. We became to Know again. We got “saved” from our unknowing and we became new creatures through this good news. The stuff of dreams, I tell you! That we were not ordinary people , but a Royalty. Kings and Queens in the Kingdom of God.

He who was. And Is , and Is to come, became man to makes us gods through the knowledge of His Spirit here on His earth. What a wonder!
And this is the truth! He even swore that He will never leave us nor forsake us until the end of time. We win!

But God cries…

When after everything He has said, He has done to us, He continues to speak silently into our hearts everyday, From sending us angels , from singing to us through His songs to woe us back, Lighting up the days and starring up the nights, faithfully beckoning the majesty of His beauty in every flower, river, mountain top, valley low, every animal, the birds of the air, the four seasons and even the rainbow. And if that is not enough , He died to see us through this remembrance that whoever believes may not perish but have everlasting life.

But with that free will ,we can deny Him and thus deny ourselves; who we are truly are and consciously choose who we are not. And continue making that decision every day. And the precious gift becomes a curse, in an instant!

So God cries…

He cries for us. But for each tear shed, His call to us becomes even louder.

©jazzkuria
23/01/10.

2010 spiritual resolution.

2010-01-10T01:50:00.000-08:00

The new year is upon us and what a joy to behold. I have big ideas on what I plan to be, to do and to have. Amongst the most important ones is my relationship with God. Yes, This may sound cliché but honestly it isn’t. I have come to understand something deeper about Our Loving Father up there. I have been blessed with experiences that have ushered me to these truths and the little I can do in return is to work with unrelenting fervor to connect even more with God. To make it short and simple, I need to recognize God. Wow! I know, that sounds basic and ridiculous but wait and see. I do recognize God but in places and ways I have been trained to know how and in precise and specific people and places; a church, an elderly ,bearded man in white garments making prophetic statements, a gospel tv channel etc. But that is not enough for God is everywhere so we are told! And so I need to be made aware. Make me aware again.

To know that God is in the flowers in the field, the wind that lifts their fragrance up in the air, the rain that strikes our faces and the sun that caresses our skin. The birds that sings and the lion that roars majestically in the jungle ,The weird neighbor, the sulking boss and that beautiful woman seated in the bus-seat next to you.Everywhere!

you see,I presume we all know that God is always with us. Let Me put it this way. God is always there, in our life. All Ways. But we become much more conscious of His presence when we do these things; when we smile or love or sing or dance or write from our hearts. This is the highest version of Who HE IS, and when we are ex-pressing these qualities, we are expressing Him. I mean that literally. we are expressing God. That is, pushing HIM out. We are taking Him from the inside of us, where He always reside, and showing Him on the outside of us. And so, He seems to be “just showing up.” The truth is, God is always there, and we, you, me, are only in these moments aware of God. What a wonderful revelation I have come to know and that I even seek to “know again” even deeper! And so I am on this project; to consciously become aware of where GOD is. Now you can somehow understand what I am trying to get in here. To “recognize” God is to “know again” God. From “cognize” which means to “be aware” and so to “re-cognize” is “to be aware again” and as such to recognize God for me this year, I am working to know again God; consciously in me and out there .Its quite simple, I plan to know again the God I know! Aha! Awesome, isn’t it? By this , I have to be willing to see God where I find God and not only where I expect to find God. I have to see God in my bitter times and not only during my happy times. I have to be willing to see God even when I am low in spirit, Out of a job, ignored by friend, dumped by a loved one et al; really see God in these moments and not chose to imagine He has deserted me and that I need to find Him. Again, God is always with us and by our unconscious awareness we believe He is not. So My “knowing again” will involve a change of heart, a change of mind and a lot of courage. Faith!! Besides knowing and having a belief that God IS, I seek to “know again” that God IS and always IS about me and every part of my business. To see God where I find Him and find Him where I see Him!So Help Me God!

©jazzkuria

-article inspired by “Friendship with God” by neale d.walsch.

10.01.10

THE DON'TS IN MY LIFE

2009-11-23T00:03:00.000-08:00

Don’t sit aside and look
With empty eyes and a castigating mind
Watching the wicked few eating
And drinking to empty of the masses’ brook.

Don’t be angry and just sit
Wishing someone else take notice
Of the ignorant many
Being led astray by idle advice

Don’t start and stop
The noble cause of feeding the mind
With wisdom, knowledge and understanding
From whichever source that you can find

Don’t indulge the foolish jokes
That the world is round and much abound
But work your zeal and play the part
For the earth repays the diligent sower’s ground.

Don’t pray and doubt
That life will and remain the same
But be ye strong within and without
Your unyielding Faith will bring you through.

(C) JAZZKURIA

Flossmode

2009-11-15T01:55:00.001-08:00

The enthralling tale of Jimmy and the gang - PART 1 AND 2

2009-11-06T02:42:00.000-08:00

* names (Jimmy and collymore) have been changed to conceal the true identity of, otherwise, flecked characters whose factual reputation has already been compromised.

After much deliberation, *Jimmy gave in. For those who knew Jimmy, this was akin to the second coming of the Messiah. Sheer impossibility. Hitler would have been a vicar before jimmy took a change of heart. That is how hard a stand jimmy had taken on the gang’s incessant quandary. The gravit rain had weighed him in. The elastic limit of his human heart had reached its breaking point. Finally, like a stroke of magic, if not a miracle, jimmy had been touched by the needs of his self- despised lot. He had too. He had tried every trick known to man to flout this gang but their persistence had paid off albeit at a heavy cost. The rich ego of jimmy. He reasoned that for the machine to work, the cogs had to be in place and working. The yin has its yang and a change of heart was the only joker left to be played. And so Jimmy played the last card.

You see , behind the pin striped suits, pointed shoes and the phlegmatic demeanour, inside jimmy lies a man who would put his life on the line to zealously abscond any exorbitant emotional responsibilities for a people well in their prime especially in a third world setting where cases of manager-fights-for-your-rights clarion calls are a norm. The man was taught and cultured differently. Go to elementary school, learn to swim or play a musical instrument, imbibe your way through junior high, cheat your way in campus....but graduate and finally get a formal job and aim high buddy. Thats it! This he did and in time through his political connects, he had reached his pinnacle. Fulfilled his daddy’s wish and become a village hero. Jimmy had become a boss! The kaffir, top honcho, cahuna, you name it at his workplace in his motherland. Well according to the version of his gospel. But the saddest part, you ask? he was the boss of an ignorantly haute riche’ mortals who had entered their sophomore year of their employment with a pristine zeal for a mass upgrade in no uncertain terms. They had worn out their rookie year excitements of a first salary, owned more than 2 pairs of pants, been to movie premiers, feasted on game meat, maxed out their credit cards, the works. Now they were desperate and they needed a punch bag to vent. So jimmy was stuck in between. A hero in the village but a villain at work. Jimmy had worked the “motivational” hope of zion train to the gang but to no avail. They had known better. The scales had fallen from their eyes.The carrot had been dangled until it withered out. Jimmy, in his haste, to impress his ghostly superior, *collymore, he had forgotten the most important lesson; Know when to duck ém!

Collymore was a master of “the ducking craft”. He had perfected it like the precision of a matador’s lance to the raging bull, and there was talk that he had patented it. Promise, Hype and...Duck! By all means and schemes possible. Feign imaginary calls, use VIP lifts, excessive midnight texts for figures,tipping security guards to “deny” your presence anytime you are in the vicinity, never answer calls and the best, be in endless meetings. Well, credit to Jimmy, he had Jimmy employed meticulously the meeting trick but the downside was that his office was the gang’s epicentre. He had done all he could. He had supplied occasional hard drinks to opium the masses at the team building events, endured heaving cases in his car, hidden behind his 21’inch computer under the sliding chair, cast occasional glances at the corner of his eyes, black forested the damn feminine community, avoided the morning trance-inducing chants. Everything. His deputies were novices and docile in nature. One thought leadership required literal positioning of staff according to their height and age in the office to improve performance and the other one, well, hard as it is to say this, he actually strolled aimlessly pondering on how he will reinvent the moppet, sometimes bursting unconsciously “eureka”!!”eureka”!!. Hopeless. Funny thing, they were proud of their positions. So Jimmy gave in. His only condition? Go,Go ,Go....but further now, GO BEYOND HITHER!! jimmy had given in, but only he knew.

PART 2 - THE FINAL CHAPTER

Disclaimer: The author appreciates the full import of his narration and wishes to state that far from being informed by antipathy, he be au fait with the need to laugh at ourselves as the biggest statement to our reconciliation with our past and its marvelous deeds.

And so like all fabled legends, Jimmy and the gang did roll into the sunset, the details of which will best be put in context at the article’s end. …but to further appreciate the dynamics of the team and its intrigues, jimmy’s brief did not end with his immediate team. I aver to you ladies and gentlemen, the aptly named bunch of hippies; “Outbound”. A troupe comprising of 9 anomalous members that were a product of a generous whim auspiced as “diversifying portfolio” in the ever growing card business. This was a dream team with a pipe dream- to be their own managers!! Now, these bunch were way, waaaaay in over their heads with this one. They would create their own leads, call 10 clients in 8 hours, do their own version of MI and send it to an arbitrarily nondescript call centre manager at the tail end of the business day and anxiously wait for their emoluments on the famed 24th.Wow! Idyllic Imagination even by Hollywood standards!! This was their lot.

To be fair to Jimmy, He inherited this team, never was sure what they did, couldn’t care less what their names were and he never really owned them. Who did? He, however, did accommodate them and especially when his gang’s work needed an extra pair of hands, he would pluck a few from the outbound to get the job done. On occasions, when hosting a special delegate from upper echelons, who would come to pay a courtesy call to the Tele-centre, Jimmy would let his guest surmise that it was “all his team” if only it would auger well to his seniors and give him that odd pat on the back for increased responsibility; read B5.If the guest pressed for details, He would disassociate himself as the Levite priests would Samaritan lepers and beckoned one of the Outbounders cook themselves in their own oil by explaining themselves and their damned origins.

So this cohabitation endured time and served its logic; under the radar they did their business. “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” being the mantra the outbounders held and would fervently fight to the nail any suggestions that they were a non-existential busy-body entity. This worked well for them. They forged genuine camaraderie and it seemed their utopian job was God- sent; No performance threats, No supervisors, No Red and Green Whiteboard awash with sales targets; No, None of that. For a year and a half they glided by and each held unto his own up until the ill-timed mass upgrade jitters started doing rounds in Jimmy’s gang. This was to be followed up by key management reps coming over to assure the gang that their cries had been heard and it was only a matter of when and not if that the upgrade will be effected.”Carrot and stick ‘em” trick would always work on the gang and by now fraternities and sororities between the teams had enmeshed and the revolution had caught up. The outbounders, for some outlandish reason, introspected themselves, re-evaluated their worth and alarm bells began to ring. They wanted in! Well, a few of them .But the few were the noisiest and the sluggards; but they wanted in. Everything! Plus a renewed contract that had the term
“ PERMANENT” in BOLD, NEW TIMES ROMAN AND FONT 28 !!!!!!

Fully inscribed and watermarked therein. The scales had fallen from their eyes. The botched election and its economical implications had adversely hit them too. They wanted recognition, assimilation, well defined TOR’s (Terms of Reference), a visible manager, their own tea and tea bags, flat screen computers and a group hug. Was that a lot to ask for? They had grown tired too. Hell, they had exhausted their leads within a month of their employment and its human nature, after misusing their post paid lines calling their lovers, some calling their maids to find out how many times the baby had sneezed, etc to have conscience stricken hearts. So next, as Maslow’s hierarchical needs established, so too they had moved to their next phase and sought significance. Anyway, anyhow did they seek it. But they had forgotten one simple law. The law of cause and effect.

Meanwhile, Jimmy’s gang push for an upgrade did materialize…yes, they were locationally upgraded. But this was done strategically. To weed out the atwolis, karuas and khalwales that agitated the well meaning, easy going folk. To all corners were they dispersed like the biblical Israelites. Time heals all wounds and it did. To some, motherhood brought solace, to some, greener pastures were sought, the entrepreneurial spirits started businesses while exploiting the company resources to the hilt, while some changed stations. A couple enriched and contributed mass profits to aid Mr. Gerald Mahinda’s firm and PD leading to his promotion to South Africa. Others coped and hoped all the while keeping Mwangemi busy round the clock.
Collymore’s lucky streak came to an end and was eventually found out. His 2 decades of service went down without a plaque of recognition. His dues massively deducted for owed loan repayments and maxed out cards, his repute was in tatters, no ex-gratia to boot, and his glowing embers of a distinguished career could not be rekindled even with the astrological Maya Indians and was last heard and seen attending to his copious phone calls. Old habits do indeed die hard. He’s yet to issue a statement explaining his take of things but I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one. As for Jimmy, his whereabouts remain unknown to the author. Tele-centre was rejuvenated and re-injected with new faces from Og Mandino’s “Greatest salesmen of the world” {pun intended} to cog that tireless machine and it still strives on. Its 5th year anniversary will be observed soon. And please don’t ask where new leads come from. The business still runs, doesn’t it? Take a toss and go get yourself a Kilele brand yoghurt!
Outbound lived up to its name. Literally. According to Collins English Dictionary ,Definition: Adj. 1 .Outbound – “that is going out or leaving”; “leaving a place or a position”; “an outgoing steamship”. The third definition particularly resonates. The team hounded itself out of existence. Its members now ply new trades .Some went to try new careers in pharmaceutical fields, others to NGO’s, others started Children homes and others lucky enough were accommodated to the larger costumer service team at the head quarters and their subservience was bought without a whimper. Sad, but that’s life. Now we know why God attaches so much importance to a name.
Lay-offs and forced resignations would soon be effected to “deadwood” top management in the name of “human resource restructuring processes” and as is the case, brown A4 envelopes were back in vogue. The wise ones who had got wind of it joined forces with the competition but a huge chunk went the way of Captain Edward John Smith and sank down in pride and full regalia. The toothless union still enjoys its benefits and exists to serve its masters and not its members.
As for the acts of Card centre, its offshoots and other events of jimmy’s reign, his gizmo-obsessed juniors, are they not written and recorded in the annotations and hearts of its victims, collaborators, and its faithful servants? Jimmy’s reign lasted for a time and half a time and there are no official records about his successor.

The significance of choice

2009-09-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

Every December holiday, when I was a kid, my folks would bundle us into the car and make the trip upcountry as it was customary back then. I recall every evening when grandma would have us sit round her three legged stool and narrate to us different stories. The one that hangs to memory the most is one of how the monkey is a staple diet in the asian, far east regions of our globe. To trap it, the villagers would create a sizable hole in a coconut fruit and stuff rice inside. The hole is made just small and wide to accommodate the monkey’s paw. Now, the trick is, that once the monkey has reached inside the fruit and grabbed a handful of rice, it cannot lose the coconut unless it lets go of the rice inside. To the folly of the animal, it makes endless gongs as it tries to make up a tree with its paw still inside the fruit and these sounds are the cue for the villagers. Believe it or not, the villagers will grab it, as casually as a walk in the park, since the monkey will make empty noises, fidgeting around the tree while it has a choice of letting go and fleeing the imminent danger. Grandma would let us run out of our laughter and gaze intently into our watery eyes and tell us the lesson within; always know you have a choice. And the matter of choice has stuck, if not haunted me since. Choice, as free will, is at the disposal of the every human being. It is something God gives us freely.

God will motivate us, encourage us, move the heavens and the mountains for us, rebuke us, send messages through diligent messengers just to get us to make only and just only one thing; make a choice. A choice to choose life, a choice to be happy, a choice to begin to love, to be faithful, to think positively, to live healthy, to change attitudes, to be different; to change for the better. He constantly calls us to make more than a choice but a daily choice. The interesting thing about all this is that it is never that easy. It breaks a sweat but the fruits are guaranteed. Pain is always part of the process. You see, It costs us something to get something. Mediocrity has never been bestowed with recognition and as the Swahili saying advises “ mtaka cha mvunguni sharti ainame”.

The conscious and deliberate effort depends on our ability to make a choice. The choice that we make is influenced by a variety of factors which may include our genetic predisposition, the family influence which I call the social conditioning, the famous peer pressure among others. All these shape our way of thinking trickling down to our ingrained habits which forms our actions and ultimately our character. The good thing I have learnt is that nothing is ever etched on stone that we shall always be and remain as we are. Like the light to the day, life is guaranteed to change. For the mighty and for the lowly. For all. When this happens, our response to it will impact us either positively or negatively depending on the choices we make. Every day, every hour, every minute. Constantly.

In the book, Conversations with God, author Neale Donald Walsch, seems to be at odds as to why he has never gotten it right every time he wishes to come to terms on how to get his life moving without much stagnation. As the dialogue goes ”God”, interestingly, keeps it simple with the truth:”Life is an ongoing process of creation. You are creating your reality every single minute. Remember that every decision you make should be the choice you choose to make tomorrow and that is the secret of all masters. They keep choosing the same thing over and over again until their will is made manifest in their reality”. I like that. That if I choose to be physically fit, I should stick to the fitness plan every time and the constancy of it should see me reach my desired goal. This school of thought gives me the responsibility to be in charge of my own life choices and decisions and to cease blaming others or circumstances for the woe in my life. Every situation becomes what I decide it to be. The idea that I am what I think of myself as is thought provoking.

It is Our Lord Jesus Christ who said that “As a man thinketh so is He” and now I see. I choose what I will think about, what to say, whom to relate to, what to read, what to watch, etc as all this constitute to who I am. I now understand that I am inherently equipped with everything I need to make that choice that will make me be me. A choice to believe in a God to whom nothing is impossible. A choice to trust in Him and in my ability. A choice to make the first step in faith and see what happens. A choice to see myself in a new light; that I am a special person with boundless limits to explore. A being wonderfully and fearfully made. All in all, it all begins with a choice. What’s yours?

HOPE

2009-09-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite quotes is by Vaclav Havel who quipped “Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turn out” and that brings me to the subject that evokes much fascination and adoration if nothing less than being idolised by what it represents; HOPE. Personally, I love to think of hope as a reverent thing. An attribute that the Deity blesses his loving creation with. Even to the most lackadaisical pessimist and cynic, deep inside themselves lies a ray of hope. You see, Hope has stood the test of time and evidently it is something that always gives and never takes away. Hope has held the testimony that it never fails in its promise and whenever summoned, it works up with zeal and most importantly, its suffice to say we can look forward to it with desire and reasonable confidence.

I am amazed by the audacity of hope. It doesn’t segregate and always beckons at everyone’s heart when all around seem dark. Its soft, soothing voice infuses into our soul everytime we’re engulfed with the hurt and trials of life. In my young life, I have come to appreciate and encourage the idea of Hope as a resonant melody of my frail heart. I have discovered that the myopic nature of my human reasoning and interpretations of my life huddles cannot be easily overcome without hope for a better tomorrow, a better world and, indeed, a better me. I have looked far and beyond and saw that the greatest and the wisest of people to have walked on this earth had hope as a constant chaperone on their fickle, treacherous journey to redemption.

Among my idolised heroes of the modern day and also a living legend, Nelson Mandela, while facing a grim future of life behind bars for his noble cause of a better South Africa and was quoted in his famous speech before being sentenced to life imprisonment that “..During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I HOPE to live for and to achieve”. We all know how that story turned up to be. The fight for a liberated Kenya was hinged on hope. Tales of the Holocaust are told of how the Jewish captives, while being led to the gas chambers by the Nazis, sang songs of Hope as they resigned to the fact that though mortal men could kill their physical bodies, their souls had a hope to rest in the realm of the Heavenlies with the Creator. It is hope that the Lord’s apostles persevered and faithfully spread the gospel. For in hope, we retire at night after a long day to rest and look forward to a brighter day tomorrow. That we read, sing, relate and work. We do it for Hope.

Hope is not just a word, but it can mean many things. it is an emotion at best, at worst ...it is lost. Caleb Colton, an English cleric, painter and writer, while going through a tumultuous period in his life, wrote that “ Times of general calamity and confusion have ever been productive of the greatest minds. The purest Ore is produced from the hottest furnace and brightest thunderbolt is the one elicited from the darkest room” And I would add a room full of Hope. For though hope wears different hats to different people, its inherent virtue is always the same. It makes up the substance of things that Faith is built upon. For the Bible puts it that ‘Faith is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not yet seen” Hebrews 11: 1. Hope, therefore, is a key ingredient of the heavenly currency ; Faith. But I won’t digress with my endless superlatives about Faith. Maybe another time. In short as I conclude, I offer it to you that among the triumvirate of God’s gifts for our daily sustenance is hope. 1 Corinthians 13: 13 “And now these three remain; Faith, Hope and Love. But the greatest of these is Love” .As such, I will totally fall short of the point if I do not say that Hope by itself, though sufficient, is diligently espoused to Faith and Love. Hope therefore and do not give up.

trials of an eternal optimist

2009-07-14T05:58:00.001-07:00

Where is my world coming to? I wonder if there is anyone out there who can lay claim to having sublime peace without a single thought of worry for the passing day?
I sit and marvel on the turn of events facing us as a people; The rising cost of living, widespread insecurity , stark contrast the rich and the poor, Unending vitriol from a befuddled citizenry to its equally inept government, a fraught economy, colossal job losses and much more.

You see, lately I have been a victim of my own preaching. I pride myself in being an eternal optimist; am positive thinker; a man who always sees the glass as half full. A mastermind of sorts that is kept on a strict diet of any motivational materials available. Given my way, I’d even challenge the need for darkness and night before its loving creator . Such is my fascination with the Good, The Brighter and the Happy. For instance, In The case of a headache, I was taught that I just needs to re-arrange and focus my body mechanism to align the energies that are out of sync to help bring back the system balance back on track and as such the “pain” is diminished via the power of the positive –thought aligned mind. Wow! But here’s the thing, I’m Broke, lonely and my otherwise decent world is falling apart. I’ve sank into the abysmal depths of nothingness; At least to the very best of my knowledge .All my sustained efforts to summon my valued beliefs and teachings on positive thinking and eternal optimism have recently failed. Resultantly, I find myself silently cursing the system, laying blame on all the women, watching endless trash tv and talking in my sleep. I diligently avoid my clique of new thought converts preferring the quiet alleys occasioned with the usual commoners. I tuck my cherished collection of motivational cds and books and glossy magazines are duly displayed and religiously read. In turn, I’ve become an “IF” and not a “WHEN” person. “I WISH” instead of an “I WILL” person. Deterioration at its best. So is there help for me? Has it all been a waste of my time? Is this the real me? I wonder as I silently envy those who are constantly on the diligent path of positive re-affirmation while here I am huddling at the pavement of the beaten path of obscurity.

No! No! Not really! My mind seems to refuse .Its just a phase. Like any well-intentioned person out there. I am sure someone can identify with me. All is not gloom. The wave has hit its trough but in time I’ll ride to its crest. The cast shadow just means there is light somewhere. My song has just hit its bridge and it’s about to turn an octave higher. Beep! Beep! Beep! Goes my pulse and that only mean one thing; that I am alive and that’s a good thing, right?

So I guess I’ll appreciate the moment, treasure the good and try to understand the underlying meaning of the bad. For every yin there is a yang. Try to be a little easy on myself and kind to others out there trying their level best. I suppose I’m still human. Here’s the deal, How come those so called Motivational gurus and thinkers don’t front themselves and say, Hey look. I’m really having it rough and I am on the brink of giving up .I am not asking for much but just for them to only appreaciate the moment when their guards are down with the trials of life and not wait until all is well and the situation is faithfully triumphed then we see them on tv, in seminars and their books paraded among the best seller lists .So pardon my manners, I am just making an honest admission and admitting to my inadequacies for the whole world in real time that yes, I’m having it crazy right now but all the while being reminded of a verse from the wisest man to have lived which says “There’s a time for everything.A time to weep and a time to dance..” and right now; sob, sob sob! You get my drift.

(c) jazzkuria

Safari Sevens pictureque

2009-06-22T06:17:00.000-07:00

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The silence of wonder!

2009-05-22T04:20:00.001-07:00

Take the sun
The imposing, bright tablet in the sky
Which,at the break of dawn, slides up n shines up on high
Think about it
In all its glorious splendour
And in silence
It stands above in purpose
Then the world is lit up with this cosmic magnificence

Take the rainbow
The tapestry of wonder that splashes across the wet sky
Flaunting its beauty and in an instant it goes back to hiding
Think about it
In all its glorious splendour
It adorns our distant horizon
And men have since been ridiculously smitten!

Take the stars
The white diamonds scattered across the velvet sky
Glittering and shimmering in the dark of the night
Think about it
This glorious splendour
And in silence
They twinkle their way into our hearts n fascinates our imagination with their charm.

Take our Father God
Who, before the beginning began had been and lived to see the end and IS after that
He, who holds the universe by His breath and the seas in the cusp of His hand
Would go into Himself to send unto us His beloved Son
Think about it
A chastisement of our sins ; A living sacrifice for our redemption
The Living Word
And now we have a hope and a future

Take me n you
An image of unspeakable and phenomenal beauty
Knitted perfectly in the mother's womb with no idea, no clue n here we are
Think about it
An absolute wonder
Dont say a word
Some things are better said in silence!

Take the following
The birds of the air, the wild animals, the wind that slaps ur face, the rivers and the mountains, the green of the fodder, the delicate white snowflake, the yin and the yang, the strange time-space continuum, the joy of poetry, the rains falling from the heavens, the angels
Think about all that...
Mystery inexplainable
Without words
The silence of wonder!

©jazzkuria
052209

Is your boss your friend or foe? -- Signs of the Times News

2009-05-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

Is your boss your friend or foe? -- Signs of the Times News: "http://www.sott.net/articles/show/184702-Is-your-boss-your-friend-or-foe-"

The Real Dangers of Soda to You and Your Children -- Signs of the Times News

2009-05-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

The Real Dangers of Soda to You and Your Children -- Signs of the Times News: "http://www.sott.net/articles/show/184606-The-Real-Dangers-of-Soda-to-You-and-Your-Children"

EXPOSED!

2009-05-02T01:41:00.000-07:00

I just sit
Waiting and then pray
I then repeat
Telling myself its gonna be okay
I try to sing
But the melody does not make any sense
I bring myself back to myself
Summoning my innermost faith
Faith in God
I then lay down and sleep
Whilst trying very hard not to weep

Still..,Mine is a decent story
In comparison to others out there
With dreams gone awry
I see myself with victory
Maybe today; Maybe tomorrow
But I’m still drawn to sorrow

For I am wiser now
Free to live my truth
And let Love be
In Jesus will I trust
The lasting Peace for my days
I will talk
Of nothing other than Hope
In a world where gloom is in bloom
I will try to be..
An extension of His Light
A Joy to the mad world
A smile to the constant frowns
Warmth to the cold reality
Love to the resident evil
Bounty when scarce is commonplace
A Faithful Keeper
A solution than a problem
Colours of the rainbow
A part of Heaven down here
Just be me...
For The world could use something different at least!

jazzkuria
-END-

Love's The Greatest

2009-03-10T01:41:00.000-07:00

'And now abideth faith,hope,love; but the greatest of these is LOVE'.1 corithians 13:13. Love-'Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoices nt in iniquity but in the truth.'
Love- 'bears all things, believe all things, hopes all things, endures all things'
Love recognises the reality of the pain, bt beyond the pain love sees a victory and a triumph.love is a creative force that can bring good out of evil,even redemptive power out of a cross,- love never faileth' ..charles allen.

LOVE IS ALL THERE IS- The series

2009-03-06T01:18:00.000-08:00

Love is a very powerful emotion
It is often the most confused and controversial
Usually spoken of being blind;
Love answers and seldom questions
It is in the heart of the beholder
The DNA of His Awesome Wonder
It defines most of our actions and Inactions.
It makes us breathe; Jump; Shout; Sing; Hustle; Makes us want to lie down..Just makes us move.
It inspires; makes us perspire and never expires!
It lifts us up when we are down
It is always deep within when all else is gloom
Asking us to summon it constantly and consistently
For Love Is ALL There Is!
Love is the warmth in the Smile
Love is the crisp of the morning breeze
Love is the soothing of a comforting hug
Love is the melody of the bird perched next to your bedroom window
Love is the friendship we never want to loose
The kiss from a loved one.
Love is the contentment of a Peaceful heart
Love is the reaction of a prayer answered
Love is the serene of ocean waves;
The rays of the setting sun;
The snowballs in winter;
The Lion playing with her cubs;
The rain pouring from the heavens;
The tree that gives us the shade;
The song we dance ourselves loose;
The footprints we etch along the sandy beach;
It is the air that sweeps our face;
It is in the clothes we wear;
The red in the roses;
The Ham in the Burger;
It is The All In All!
God Is Love!
But why is Love not pronounced and announced everyday? Every time? At all moments?
Why is it so easy to see hurt? Pain? Jealousy? Anger? Envy? Ugliness? Yea, why do these come so easy for us? Why do they entangle us with such cheap effort? Exactly, Where Is The Love?
Thats the journey I wish we begin from here..
The Journey that Love Is All There Is.
The Journey Of everything Love.
Me and You.Love!
It starts with just one person
It starts with ME!
Care to Join?

-END-
Jazzkuria (c)

THE PROPOSITON

2009-01-30T15:14:00.000-08:00

My good friend,Gichingiri Kuria, says the “the mind is a terrible thing”
His paradoxical interpretation is obviously objectionable but i respect his perspective of our human psyche.I wont go to the extent of how abysmal or otherwise our minds can get but if there is anything I would tell my mind is.............

(Dear Jazz’s Mind...)

Never dwell on a thought that does not represent Who I Am.
Please never give flesh to the skeletal image of conformity
Never breathe life into the nostrils of subjectivity
Not even once make believe the captivity of negativity
To never limit its Potential! Especially this to never do Ever!!
I would beseech my mind to filter out representations of any manner that read mediocrity
Fight with all its might any contradicting thought of Who I Am at just its first sight
I would plead it to remain in a simple state of Faith
To constantly bring to itself meditations closely held within my spirit definations of True Me
That I am the Promise Of God
The evidence of His Love
Fearfully and Wonderfully made
The Head and not the tail
The Victor and Not the victim
That I can do ALL things through Christ who Strengthens me
The conceptualized idea of God’s brilliance
The Product of God’s supreme creativity
Yea, all these and more
I would beg for it to retain within its bank everything that is Hope , Love , Joy , Peace....
I would humbly recommend that it make exercise a daily habit..To Read! Read and Read some more!
I’d seek that it inquires for more Wisdom , Knowledge and Understanding
This should be its task; routine; commitment.....Its Purpose
But thats just me, I don’t know what it makes of all this!

Yours faithfully,
(C) jazzkuria

prayer

2009-01-30T15:10:00.000-08:00

It vaguely starts with a subliminal longing
Slowly transforming itself into a cognisant
The request is subsequently sent; confidently premeditated on longevity
It beckons for Love.
Love, entwined with passion and freedom blossoms into the desired evidence of the heart.
Finally the need held by candid soul reveals itself into reality.
Only then do you realize that your Faith has met HIS Will....In Jesus Name
The manifestation of a prayer answered!
Or is It?

-END-

(c) jazzkuria

THE SEEKING ...Part 2!

2009-01-23T21:54:00.000-08:00

Oh , this life of mine!
So its said we are who we are on the inside,Huh?
And the seeking continues...
What’s the soul’s horizon?
The extent of its vision?
The scope of its wisdom?
The breadth of its knowledge?
The bounty of itself?
How come it always understands the truth of me?
Well adept of my very concept
The inside me so to speak
The Intricate; Intrinsic; Opus; My Sonata, Generic that is Me
Yea, the highest thoughts of me are from my soul
How come , my body is always in conflict with the soul?
And why the conflict in the first place?
Why the eternal strict between these two of me?
What does the soul know that my mind can’t fully comprehend?
And the body is just as clueless to say the least?
If, plainly as possible, would its etchings on tablets say of me?
Would I be shocked beyond wonder that I know nothing of I?
Would I be surprised that I live that which is below of me?
Or would I pause at the magnificence of the essence that is Me?
Would I behold the awesomeness of the Divine when God breathed my being and I became life?
Would I shout? Collapse? Run beserk? Stand still? Be rendered speechless when I see the results of my doing(s) against that of my being?
Will I then deny or accept?
Will I share the same with my family? Friends? With You?
What’s to my soul?
Tell me, what does it mean to when its asked “who are you?”
D o I seek to say that which my mind has collectively put into my conscious what I have described myself with time or say that which my soul knows very well of myself?
Again, what is the answer when I ask who are you?
Do I then live short of my soul’s expectation?
Have I put a limit on my unlimitlessness?
Have I sought to DO than to BE?
Am I a human BEING living a life of a human DOING?
This soul of mine!
It’s bigger than I think!
The grand reservoir of all that is Faith, Hope, Desire, Joy, Sorrow, Love, Feeling...; Everything.
The mind is at its command, or otherwise. The body at the behest of the mind of that which the mind has received from the soul..or otherwise.
So who is boss over whom? Who rules? Who defines me? That is I..
My Soul? My Mind? My body?
Who speaks of my true self?
Oh this Life of mine!

-END-

(c) jazzkuria

THE SEEKING

2009-01-23T12:26:00.000-08:00

We seek to be
We seek for the deeper meaning
We seek to fight for the just cause
We seek The Light ;not to deny darkness (its just dark) but coz our own light is not as bright
We seek to work for a justified pay
We seek to love in earnest; Truthfully. No holds barred. No conditions. Just Love!
We seek to learn and lose the unwarranted ignorance
We seek to pray; not as an obligation but as a cherished communion with HIM whom we owe our existence
We seek to share; not as a duty but out of the abundance
We seek to speak openly if only to communicate our truth
We seek to remain healthy ; to look beautiful and not for impression’s sake but as a genuine expression of Who We Are.
We seek to be truly thankful from our hearts and make it a habit
We seek Peace; the serenity to just abide and not brew conflict when others opinions are not same as ours.
We seek Joy and not just for the bliss but as a deepest compliment of our sorrow.
We seek to radiate God’s Glory in everything and not the cheap alternative of the earthly fame for our ego
We seek to relate and not out of need but out of a deep sense to see our true selves reflecting from another
We seek to honestly own and not covet
We seek the freedom of being us and not confinement by living (experiencing) another’s truth which ofcourse was another’s truth and so on ...
We seek purity out of a heart’s will and not a body’s strength.

We seek to obey and not for obedience sake; ...mmmm actually , for obedience sake!
We seek to run and not faint;
We seek Courage and not Cowardice
Faith and not Fear
To Be and not just humdrum existence
We seek to seek then when we get we fail to notice then start to seek again
We win at times but for the larger part we doubt about it
And when we fail we fail to start seeking again until were sick of not seeking again
We seek in depths, in Highs, in the Narrows, in the Wide, Everywhere
We seek; if only someone; GOD, can help give us back to ourselves
This we seek But Few I do ..infact most cases I don’t.
And so I need JESUS.
For Perfection is Him and by Him and Through Him I can become
So I guess I answer myself that To Know God I Need To Be Out Of My Mind!

-END-

(c) jazzkuria

SOLITUDE

2008-11-24T01:18:00.001-08:00

SOLITUDE
Laugh and the world laughs with you;
Weep and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost in the air
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care

Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go;
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all-
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life’s gall

Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and its helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure;
For a large and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain’’.

-END-

A poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

NEVER GIVE UP

2008-11-24T01:14:00.000-08:00

NEVER GIVE UP

Cripple him and you have a Sir Walter Scott.
Lock him in a prison cell and you have a John Bunyon, a Nelson Mandela
A sprit that fights on
Bury him in the snows of Valley Forge and you have a George Washington.
Raise him in abject poverty and even later try to kill him by failure and you have an Abraham Lincoln
Strike him down with infantile paralysis and he becomes Franklin Roosevelt.
Burn him so severely that the doctors say he will never walk again and you have a Glen Cunningham- who set the world’s one – mile record in 1934.
Deafen him and you have a Beethoven.
Have him or her born black in a society with racial discrimination and you have a Booker T Washington, a Marian Anderson , A martin Luther King..
Call him a slow learner, “retarded” and write him off as uneducable and you have an Albert Einstein
Pile Stark odds against him and show him the trail of historical disadvantages on the path he is choosing to run ...and you get a Barrack Obama
Tell him that the cause cannot be won without a fight, blood and guns and he resists the temptation and sticks to his non-violent cause of change..and you have a Mahatma Gandhi
Born blind and still...the legendary Ray Charles
And do I need to say anything about Lewis Hamilton, Tiger Woods, Pamela Jelimo, ..et al
Tell Him he’s not photogenic and that he cant sign for Real Madrid and you get a Ronaldihno
Abandon him at 2 years old and his grandma takes him in...with a piano and a dream and you have a Kirk Franklin
Above all, Manger born ,sought to be killed when young, discriminated upon, rejected when revealed and even crucified for our redemption...now seated at the Right hand of the Father and in His Name we are Saved...Jesus the Christ
Me and you and our story not yet told...
That deserted, desolate boy or girl out there..Probably abused, written off by the society, with no education, decent livelihood, no money, barren mother, sick child, depressed father, hopeless situation, our dying world,...

Let us not give up. Let us remember that the world has no place for quitters. Let us summon our Faith; “Only be Courageous and Strong” the Lord would tell Joshua...Let us fight the good fight ; Let us be counted as worthy of our price; Let our story etch itself in the annals of History for posterity’s sake. Let our song be that hope to someone else. Let us remember the Promise.”He who is in Us is Greater than he who is in the world”. “Only be courageous and Strong”.

-END-

Partly Sampled from Philip Baker’s “Secrets of Super Achievers”.

I WISH- THE POEM

2008-09-28T02:42:00.000-07:00

To the most beautiful girl in the world...you know yourself!

I wish of you

I wish to hold you
Under the orange sky of the setting sun sinking into the horizon
I wish to wrap my arms around you
In a locked embrace that’s genuine and true

I wish to never let go of your hand
Morning, noon and long after the day is done
I wish to look longingly into your brown eyes
And see the image of myself that I hope will never die

I wish to miss you
When you are away in the hustle and bustle of the day
When the birds sing of your pretty face and roses die of the same
I wish you miss me too
And call me up with as much to say

I wish to dance to the music of your heart
Walking beside you to the rhythm of your step
I wish to know the journey of your thoughts
To laugh with you when you’re happy
And to hold you close when the clouds above you loom grey
To kiss you when that moment comes..
And to stay silent when you need some
I wish to dip into the source of beauty you hold within
I f only to taste of the joy harboured in
A fountain of charm that overflows
I wish to be part of the enchantment
The sparkle that lights up the fire
Of love
Of hope
Of Us.

I wished of you than and still
I wish of you every moment I live
I wish of none other but you
I wish to be the one you’ve silently wished for
I wish to be part of your dreams
I wish of you and only you

I wish you now!

-END-

IN LOVIN MEMORY

2008-09-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

Robert John philip Kuria Mugo Sr. (@26yrs)

Though you are not with us,We still hold you close to our hearts..love you pops!

- the kurias

The number one harambee stars Fan!

2008-09-01T06:46:00.003-07:00

2008-09-01T06:46:00.001-07:00

KENYA VS ZIMBABWE! - the wanabeez fans

2008-09-01T06:37:00.001-07:00

HARAMBEE STARS!! -lets go boys

2008-09-01T06:35:00.000-07:00

DEAREST

2008-06-15T01:23:00.000-07:00

Dearest
Sum of all dreams
The crimson atop the icecream
The glitter in the midnite star
for when your near
I wish you nearer

Dearest
Love of my life
you sanction my thoughts and I think of only you
Could this be a dream comin through?
My hope becomes true
For when you are away
I wish you closer

Dearest
Apple of my eye
No one could be more lucky than I
I wish of the day you become my wife
and happiness succumb all the days of my life...
For where you are
I wish me by your side

Dearest
The longing of mine soul
lovers' recite of a poem about us
sends the tides rocking gently my heart
and then we are one and never apart
for you are
the girl i've always meant to be with
Dearest..

-END-

sawa sawa afro music /poetry event

2008-05-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

This year Black Uhuru (Jamaica), Youssou N'Dour (Senegal), Mahotella Queens (South Africa), body percussionists Percus Normades (Benin), Habana Sax (Cuba) and Beef (Netherlands), Rajeswari Sainath (India) alongside Kenyan stars will give revelers a thrilling performance of its kind ever witnessed in Kenya on this coming or is it..next weekend??.i.e
Saturday's event(31st May) at the Nairobi Arboretum.

It will be a family day of Afro modern entertainment that is open to the public. Youssou N'Dour, Mahotella Queens and Percus Nomades along with some of Kenya's renowned artists like Kanji, Makadem and the Sarakasi Artistes will give the audience a sterling performance. To accommodate all this action will be 3 stages; The main stage, The Acrobatic/ Dance Stage and the Youth/ Open Mic Stage.

Sasini Opens another Coffee Lounge at the Museum of Kenya;Savannah NMK Lounge

Late last year, Sasini Tea and Coffee Company, more known for its growth and export of Kenyan tea and coffee, opened one of its many chain coffee lounges to be set up both in Nairobi as well as Dubai and London. The lounge was an instant success for many coffee lovers who were looking for more venue varieties, value add and the ultimate ambiance.

Barely 5 months after opening their first lounge, Sasini recently unveiled yet another coffee lounge slightly away from Nairobi's CBD.
Dobet Gnahoré; Diva from Côte d'Ivoire in Concert @ Alliance Française,

Dobet Gnahoré, a singer, dancer and percussionist from the Ivory Coast, inherited the force of the "Bété" tradition from her father, Boni Gnahoré, a master percussionist who plays with the Abidjan-based Ki-Yi Mbock Company, directed by Werewere Liking. Dobet sings in a range of African languages including Bété, Fon, Baoule, Lingala, Malinke, Mina or Bambara, thereby reproducing the Pan-African tradition of the Ki Yi Mbock group.
Rhythm & Spoken Poetry @ Dass-- Friday May 16th, 08

Rhythm & Spoken
Poetry and open mic night
Dass Ethiopian restaurant, Westlands
Date: Friday May 16th 2008
The 10th Daughter of Gĩkũyũ & Mũmbi - Children of Lone Soldiers

We are the 10th daughter of Gĩkũyũ and Mũmbi
The one spoken of in low hashed tones,
With eyes full of sadistic pity
The one who, without a husband bore outcasts,
Casting on stone the traits of children born of men but not of fathers.

Hey Girls..THis is to You!

2008-03-15T04:04:00.000-07:00

CAUTION!
Consistency is not behaving the same way all the time, It is behaving the same way under similar circumstances.

THE LETTER

Patience! I beg of you to bear
In kindness with tender loving care
Extend it to us
For our Innocence is marked as ignorance
Our natural dispositions exalted more than our propensities
and being a man sometimes gets in our own way
You are still girls and in our world
you deserve more than diamonds and pearls
that much we know , but also
where our words fall short
our thoughts of you suffices
where our actions fail to play
our hearts pays the sacrifice
and where our realities hides in fantasies
our novice loving still to you, entices

So we ask?

what is wrong yet acceptable?
when is you NO sometimes YES?
help us decipher and not guess..
When is "still and quiet" read "seething mad"?
How does happy becomes not glad?
plz come translates go away
sit with me but don't talk
stay away but don't stray!
Help us understand your folk!

Secrets,Insights,..anything?I beg of you to share
For men are just small babies trapped in big bodies
and I'm one with no apologies

(Specifically..)
Can I take a journey thru your mind
and sort out stuff that makes me blind?
For my clues about you sometimes ain't true
and now i'm feeling worn out and blue
and this ain't cool cuz I see u as my only boo.

-HELP!-HELP!-HELP!

Can that be loud enough?
so please don't go running around to your friends
saying this and that about my loose endz
but take time and help a brutha out
for our milestone will be made
with just simple advice
that won't despise
but will sympathize and empathize
to teach some dude called jazz!

-END-

FYI

*(The thoughts and views expressed in the piece above are not exclusively the writer's own but of countless of bruthaz out there who feel women aren't that complicated but our knowledge about them is extremely underrated!)

J moss!

2008-02-24T06:42:00.000-08:00

I am currently feeling j. Moss' music ...I mean This guy's deep..

read more about his story on his website printed on his tee above(www.insidejmoss.com)

God Bless!

B.U.D.D.I.E.Z

2008-02-24T06:22:00.000-08:00

My list of needs and Wants for 2008!

2008-02-17T05:42:00.000-08:00

I want to be me; I need to be me!
I want to know the truth even if it deeply tears and not so kind to my ears!
I want to reach to my potential even of its so hard to see thru the daily obstacles.
I need to rise above my weaknesses even if they keep popping up when least expected!
I want to see the blessings of the day even if the sun fails to shine and the flowers deny us their precious blossom!
I want to know the true meaning of love the one that only comes from above!
I want to share genuine laughter and never feign Even if gloom beckons irritatingly time and time again!
I want to see beauty even if its pretty!
I want to see in me a person of importance even if everything and everyone around me , I lie Insignificant!

I want to keep hope alive even if its dream keeps fading!
I need to keep singing the song of my heart even if its tune its not that lovely!
I want to keep running the race because I've been given the grace to reach the highest of places!
I want to be the possible where men have gone , tried and now say its impossible!
I want to know God; I need to know God!
I want to be the frame to her being the lovely picture!
I want to drink from the cup of wisdom so that I can taste the joy of true freedom!
I want to embrace the melody of life and dance and not wish with bitter regret that I missed the chance!
I want to keep the Heavenly Statuettes even if it wont be such an easy etiquette!
I want to see my hard earned victory to my life long bitter-sweet story!
I need to overcome my stubborn fears even if it'll take more than a year!
I want to know more for me to grow and reach the heights i've never reached before!

I want peace in Kenya ; Love and Unity ...with tolerance for one another!
I want to give with all my heart even if I run the risk of getting hurt!
I want to be the change I pray the world to be!
I just want more than I can ever have but that up to God to give according to His purposes and Immeasurable Love!
I want to be me : I need to be me!

-Not the End-

Sweet Girl, May I?,Can I?....

2008-01-26T09:12:00.000-08:00

Preamble

Can perfection be more than perfect?
Can reality be sweeter than the Fiction?
Can beauty be all-together this lovely?
Its in the warmth of your hand
the twisting;the styling of your dark hair
your endearing persona
that soft voice
those cute eyes
that makes me truly smitten and thats no lie...

So pardon me for asking but......

May I carry u everyday in my mind?
May I pray that u fall in love with me if only for a day?
May I talk to u if only for a lifetime?
May I write for u a poem and cherish every line?
Sweet Girl, May I?

Can I sing for you the song that never fades?
Can I ask u out on a picnic date
Can I hold u longingly in my heart late @ nite as I watch the velvet sky?
Can I wish you near the rush of the day while the sun shines from way up high?
Can I talk u for a walk in the park and watch the floating orchids by the river and have u home before its dark?

Can I stop thinking and do what I think?
Can I write u a love letter till my pen runs out of ink?
Can I mean what I say and say what I mean?
and Can U tell my friends ur the cause of my constant sheen?
Sweet Girl, Can I?

Can I watch u sleep then wake u up and take u on a countryside trip?
Can I souve myself ur lovely scarf and tell u stuff that just makes u laugh?
Can U allow me to steal some occasional glances
and feel a brutha when he makes his shy but daring advances?

Can I not wait till tomorrow but say what I have today?
and do today what I failed to say yesterday?
Can I sway u with just my nerve and a bit of style , make u smile and when I'm far its just my number that u dial?
Sweet Girl ,Can I?

Can I be the difference u've always longed for in a guy?
Can I make u testify
not all men are dogs (esp the one who's writting on this blog?)>>>>
and when I start feeling hot , like now,
Can U be the one who bursts my bubble ,with love, and graciously make me take the bow?
May I put all these in a vow
and without regard to when, what, why and how?
with the lovely stem of a rose
againist the backdrop of the august sunset drop to my one knee and propose?

Sweet Girl, Can I?

So let me need u and never want u!
Let me part of ur enchantment coming true!
Coz my heart tell me about u, just u, and only u!

For Love is the debt I owe
so kindly allow the seeds I sow
be the garden to which my commitment grows
So Sweet Girl May I ?, Can I?

....Your Answer now I Await...

-END-

DesTiNy!

2008-01-17T07:52:00.000-08:00

I believe in Destiny
I believe in the beauty of its reality
The uniqueness of its serenity warms my heart
as my soul is encapsuled by its bounty
my mind wanders in its corridors
clinging to the images; those spell-binding images of Forever!

I trust in the path that leads to destiny
I surrender willingly to the God Given Precepts
That template He Guides me with can never be treated with contempt
For in its rays; destiny's rays
they shine and brights my face
How lovely is this place..
I can't help but lie therein dazed!

I know I will get there ...and soon
Time no more for malady and gloom
I enjoy every precious and present moment
I delight ; I bathe in its sweet smelling incense
How sweet has been my quest
a few tears, hurts here and there but i've passed the test
My journey : The pleasure and the pain
no matter what I count it all gain
For my destiny lies my purpose
and this is destiny..

-not the end-

TO BE KENYAN _ LEST WE FORGET

2008-01-11T08:58:00.000-08:00

How pleasant it is for brothers to dwell in unity
said the famous psalmist and I wish...
for something went amiss
and now no one is at peace
Everything, Everywhere ..total unease
someone tell me please....

How did we break the bond?
Why are we reaping discord yet we never sowed the seeds?
Why are we giving ground for hate to breed?
weve come a long way to end to this.
Take a minute and entreat our beloved peace
surely were one..we have been one
Different tribes , Different clans
But one !

Look at the innocent blood soaking our land
Look at the fire razing down our houses ,our property
Look at the crude weapons we now hold in our hands
ready to slaughter one another on the alter of cheap politics
Look how foolishly we fell for these polluticians tricks...
Yet do they care?
Do they really have us in their minds?
For power , greed , Love for money make them blind
Beloved people we are not of their kind
WE BELONG TO KENYA
we take pride in being one
let us rekindle the love weve always shown one another
care for one another
Kikuyu Luo Kisii Kamba Luhya
Different ethnics but woven with the same fabric
Kenya..
Our fathers paid a heavy price
Let us not mock freedom with this lowly vice

Let us look beyond the dark clouds
Let us see the morning sun of hope
Let our diversity make us proud
Let every man , woman , boy and girl
every kenyan
dwell in unity
Peace and Liberty
and may plenty be found within our borders
for this is our righteous duty..
To Be Kenyan, Lest we Forget!

God Bless Kenya!

_END_

I REFUSE

2007-12-04T09:37:00.002-08:00

I simply refuse to listen to you

You!

Dark, demeaning inner voice
always cropping up> often leaving me with little to rejoice
I refuse to hacken to your prompt
The darkness in your cave is enough blinding
It offers no peace, no comfort
I refuse to bow to your command
This time, just this time, Let me Stand
I need me to allow myself to now understand
I am better off without your advice
What advice is that? one that gives me no choice?
What do I call all this?

That if i am happy , then soon i'l get sad
If i am on my element, someone or something will then get me mad

If I fall in love , that I wont get me loved
If i am tall than I need put on some weight

If dark and lovely, then I need some lightening cream
That if loves leaves me, my life just been but a dream

if lonely , then am all alone
that joy kisses me once so often and in a moment its all gone

that i am a son of failure
and my hope will never mature

that if i sin, pray and repent than i wont be chastised

that when I can, then I cant
and when I could ,you stress I won't
and when i know , u still say I don't show
and all the more make me loose my glow...

....who are you?
speak for your lowly self now!
For that s who you are
How dare you? I refuse you!

I choose to loose your signal
you can bet me to tune to your rival
That sweet,loving voice thats truly gentle
The God"s voice
The comforter

For the comforter declares

He knew me while in my mother's womb
and even deeper to know the number of my hair
and when im in need, He's always there
when weak,He makes me strong
I call unto me, and hears me and undo my wrongs
He sticks closer than a brother
The strong tower I can run to and I am safe
By His stripes I am healed
when poor , He says that I am rich
That I am who He says I am
fearfully and wonderfully made
That He came to give me more life ...and abundantly
Even died, that I can live forever

..and you dare say that u are clever?

Now I know , Now I embrace
the Right voice
God's loving voice
Finaly something I cant worth loosing

But You.....
You dark,demeaning,esteem shattering,life consuming ,lonely ,shameful voice

You...

I refuse!

>END>

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WINNIEE...!!

2007-10-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

Besides the beauty endowed by the streams of a river
flowing againist the morning sunshine..,
We very well know purity lies within.

Beyond the person we all see and know,
More than what meets the eye...,
I am honoured to know the
precious jewel you are,

The dime harboured deep inside
The Grace you adore your life with,
The Love you freely sprinkle around,
Joy you abudantly ,unto others , pour...
Friends, Acquintances,Strangers,..
To all

Indeed
As you begin a new chapter
in another bright birthyear,
I can only add that knowing you
and having you as a friend has been
and always will be something special..

May the Good Lord add to your bosom more blessings than you can contain,..

Happy birthday gal! ...

Mirror; Mirror!

2007-07-11T06:10:00.000-07:00

Mirror, Mirror
You're truth couldn't be more clearer
The incoherent thoughts that dictate my mind
Sometimes , running to and fro
Then my hope subsides
The shattered image of me I see
Sometimes
over and over that my heart believes

Mirror, Mirror
Youre song couldn't be more sweeter
The tune to a melody seldom heard
Piercing my soul then leaves it tattered
The traces of which lie scattered
and again; my accustomed mental brocken record
plays again over

Mirror, Mirror
Cast your eyes off from me!
Cover sometimes your blatant honesty
can't you see my tragedy?
Reveal onto me the things I need only see
Can't you be a little more wiser?
My dear Mirror , Mirror?

Then again
That is your purpose
Telling me like it is

Mirror, Mirror
To me you could'nt be more dearer!

-END-

SeNd Mi a DrOp!

2007-07-11T05:53:00.000-07:00

Send Me....
A drop of love
gently on my stilled ,empty heart
Then just watch...
carefully
as it spreads
Swiftly
arbsorbing the unjust loneliness
Just watch..
as it captures
Quickly
The tune to which it was meant for
Now watch...
as it fills
Completely
The hole that hurt dug in a huff

..AmaZinG

Just watch...what a drop from you can do
WoW!
Care to send me a drop of Love?
And Watch...
Slowly
A bucketfull being reurned for your share

-END-

THE MIND;THE SPIRIT & HOPE

2007-07-11T05:40:00.000-07:00

The pavillions of my forlon fantasy
is shrouded by the darkness of a destiny ensnared!
The authenticity of my faith threatened by the selfishness
of my insatiable emotions.
Always seeking but never finding
Ever consuming but never fulfilling
Who cares for a flimsy pain?
To whose heart and love can my predicament
be tolerated and arbsorbed?
I am crusing towards the proverbial bruising

I need stop and learn
in more ways than one
A hope that basks in the serenity of a lavish future
waiting to be entrusted by a willing soul
Freely given;Freely taken
conditions this precious life 's treasure

Help me not waver
Pray I don't stutter
For my carnal mind fails my spirit's quest
To trust a God of possiblities
in my own "devised-world of Imposiiblities"
Like there's one!
For when troubles upon me assail
My God never fails!

I need then paint my mind anew
Keepo the belief pure and true
This Is It!

Special Blessings from Heaven in two thousand and seven

-End-

PRODIGAL SON OF LUCK!

2007-05-24T04:36:00.000-07:00

You once told me that boundless optimism Is only for dreamers
Do my efforts evoke from you a compliment? Or just a wayward sentiment?
I’d cherish to warn the hearts of the your adoring kindred without the need to rub the magic ball with my nonchalant efficacy
…but Here I toil in your absence.
Searching for one bit if this life of mine that makes sense!
I’d wish you wouldn’t be to me so condescending with my chances that I bring to you in begging
But its up to me to interpret that the lull before the storm should be my guiding light to my way home
So I pray you receive me with open arms and make me shine more with your loving touch!

-END-

YoUNG roMan!

2007-05-24T04:12:00.000-07:00

GOLDEN..

2007-05-03T08:05:00.000-07:00

Poet Robert Frost once said,'nothing gold can stay'.

Robert Kuria defied logic because eternally inprints of life's simple but essentiall traits will be left for us to cherish.He wasnt someone to impress on first-impressions-type-of situations but to me he will be rememberd for the abudant love he showed towards his family i.e my family and for the countless things he taught me,surprisingly not through words but mere actions.Though without not his share of imperfections,it encourages me to know he died trying.... trying to maintain our & his pride,trying to hustle and most importanty,trying to love.

Robert John Philip Kuria
1946-2007

*short euology by David W. Kuria

SOMEBODY; ANYBODY

2007-05-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

SOMEBODY; ANYBODY!

Who’s to deny the clamour?
A mind hallowed with mixed anger
no wonder my soul’s vexation of a deeper and painful proportion
The world in my mind crammed and peopled with creatures and desires of its own imagination.
Blanking the absurd reality which lacks form and direction
Perceivable in my own ideallyic way.

Somebody help me!
Anybody please!

The obscured light adds to my distress
Its pale –blue rays onto my eyes and path fail to impress
And now the silenced gloom wells up in my heart.
My lfe’s bearings squashed and scattered on the dump earth
My present split apart!
I graon into my future.Come!

Somebody help me!
Anybody please!

Clamp me; Hold me close to your loving bosom
Capture my tears in your gentle embrace
Blow the scales from my eyes and help me fathom
The meaning of a true friend!
The power of a simple prayer!
The love of an eternal God!

Somebody help me!
Anybody please!

-END-

EASTER LOVE POEM

2007-05-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

EASTER’S LOVE NOTE!

The Source! Of the blinding lustre of the midnight stars
That declares its presence
The sheer dominance and the daring beauty!
Capturing the human heart ; old and young alike and mine in particular!
My eyes dwell, looking up and smile ..to these endearing white diamonds
which perch themselves across the warm April skies
as I enjoy the bond they share with the peeping moon…

who can deny that love fills my heart.
And my feelings for you sinks even deeper
And in the moment, my soul is sustained with the whisper in the breeze;
Caressing my face .your countenance I adore!
I close my eyes …yet you manage to steal my abiding teardrop;
Absorbing it in your earthly formed dust beneath my feet.
We connect!
I notice the warmth of your touch
I wish you close..
Yet you couldn’t be to me even more closer!

You’ve always been.
I don’t want to move!
I wish to stand here and share this forever….
Then my lips gently speaks
And my knees instantly grow weak
Yes! I’ve grown and I’m a man enough to say and understand
That now more than ever…..
“I love you”
“I truly fallen more in love with you today..”
As surely as the light is to the day
I pledge and pray
I’ll be yours till eternity gives up on its promise of being forever!
I surely can never deny
-pause-
I’ve fallen in love with you Jesus
Thank you for dying for me and giving me the gift of life and salvation!

-END-

the roman army!

2007-04-11T03:42:00.000-07:00

Suprise!!!!!!!!!!..and dont you say "Yeah wareva"

2007-04-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

people of the nation, my fellow artizens...forgive my silence!

my long, flattering and fruitful hiatus is now over and i welcome "where the h*ll have you been gifts", "i miss you a thao cash plus hugs", yeah and "arsenal till i die t-shirts"....ok also... as well as the invaluable april showers at my back yard...yaani hio jua imeongezewa taya mbili ama nini??

blogging resumes shortly.....

My Beloved Justice!

2007-03-08T03:00:00.000-08:00

The Former Glory

Among the pillars you firmly stood!
Strong, Unyielding and just as good.
A foundation unto which all men ranked equal.
and in your eyes , every one you treated the same
Or so I thought
Until...
well Untill..the day your tenets demeaned to naught
Your vitues decayed and clot
and for a few pennies you could be skewed and cassually bought
Now your beams keep rotting away
and day by day
it gets hard for me to say
...I knew you!

The Consequenses

How sadness has become a mind's habitual
yielding men as prey
Faith and Hope the subsides into frozen anonymity
While your kind deny its own identity
Falling into the common drift
..A Society's misfit!

To the poor and the legally oppressed
To the souls that cry out seeking recompesse

The Manifest

Your Executive-stained glasses blurs your vision
For you to see the hurt
The wrongs you need revert
To blow the Horn of Truth
You now desert!
Instead..
You cling to your priviledged Masters
Them who hold you as a puppet for the own conniving whims
as the stomachs fill to the brims
The ill-gotten wealth from the public coffers!

The call to Life

I cry out for you My Beloved Justice
I cry to you..
To rise once more and bring Honour to the fore!
To renew your Youth like the dew-kissed dawn
Everyday...
soothing the charred edges amongst us
with the abrasive of your discipline..,
and the guidance of your wisdom!

I cry for the redeeming light
to begin to thaw
your ice-caged , calloused heart
To make you speak a blessing
To whom you had previously sown a curse
To spur the change
And bring to Life a Hope we've long envisaged!

The Dream we have of you

Then your healing Fountain will trickle down its waters
and cleanse the tarnished ground onto which we stand
Begin to Charter
The Template that paves unto us another..
The Citizens' Right!
Everyone's Requisite!
Justice for All
Equal among All!

I cry out for you My Beloved Justice!

-END-

(jazz..)

based primarily on the theme "HAKI" to feature on the monthly arts n poetry forum "WaPI"
on march 10th at British council at Upper Hill form 10am-3pm.
Entrance is Free!

The Purpose-Star*

2007-02-28T04:13:00.000-08:00

(the morning of 25th january 2005..)

Light succumbed my soul
My mind's imagination then spunned outta control

The darkness that disguised my goal
was crushed underneath my foot's sole
And Lo,

The beginning; The end locked together in embrace
and as one ..
they became one in thine mixing bowl
the dough then concetrated
translated
and the revelation began to crawl
deep into my heart

(the late afternoon on 27th january 2007)

The story that was seldom told
suddenly begins to unfold
and there...

(pause)

I behold

(with awesome wonder)

The moment
The rewarding present
Mine truly reminiscent

The purpose-star*

-END-

(jazz..)

Where Eagles Soar

2007-02-21T07:44:00.002-08:00

(This is an excert from Jamie Buckingham book "where eagles soar".)

"...Yet God never puts a desire in our heart or beckon us to walk on water ,unless He intends for us to step out in Faith and at least make the attempt.
Whether we archieve or not is almost immaterial , the passing of the test lies in whether we try , in whether we are willing to be obedient to the inner call to greatness-The onward call to spiritual adventure.."

-very nice!

God bless al you all my beloved friends!

-jazz-
from a cyber in buru

On That Day...

2007-02-21T07:29:00.000-08:00

On that day..
when the wind will go silent
and the sun melts in its sky's socket

On that day...
when roses shall loose their scent
and the seas dry up and forsake its waters

Yes, On that day..
when the rainbow shall turn gray
and the midnite stars refuse to shine
when the birds will deny their song
and the morning , with all her bright , shall decline

On that day..
when the moon behind the clouds wil hide, disenchated
and the sands of time will blow away with reckless abandon
when winter , summer, autumn, and spring
shall despise their duty calls
and some shall get to little and little to none

On that day..
will my love for you greatly abound
and my eyes shall pierce into yours
and gaze into your soul
and on it will i see the reflection of our bond
the promise I made to God and before men,
that you are my girl
and forever to love you always!

-END-

(Jazz..)

*Reprinted as @ 1/11/06

DESIRE!

2007-02-11T03:51:00.000-08:00

Desire of the touch/
gentle and serene or as such/
Desire just as great/
driving force in my quest/
taste of its sweetness/
or seek it while in your bitter state/
Desire just as good as its prior/
Only now that its pure/
For sure, The desire I long/
The desire in me still strong/
You wouldn't tell/
You can never smell/
I loose it then i'm an empty shell/
This desire; burning like fire/
Always growing for the higher/
I know I can't let it go/
For the deeper I sink,The larger it grows/
My desire to touch that star/
to be that dream/
My desire and nothing more/
Desire of thine heart...!

-end-

(jazz..)

Life's Rubies!

2007-02-11T03:39:00.000-08:00

The Fragrance of Peace
that spreads like wildfire
sparkling flames of truce
rekindling tolerance in the souls
of the hurting; blows just as once
then from a distance ...comes;

The Sight of love
The precipice to mine heart's content
An enchatment coming true
To whom, I choose to be an open protocol
pouring down like desert rain
draining away the solitude
and with it; the sound beckons...

The Sound of Hope
streaminmg in like a thousand galloping horses
carrying the infinite message
restoring flesh to them dying bones
and in the twinkle of an eye
Life renews itself!
It always does.
And were thereby arbsorbed with...

The Touch of Time
once more, like an encore
giving us the second chance
to redeem our fading song, with
a dance...
Then they wish to stay & sometimes we let them leave
I pray this time I get to keep
these charming,freely given Life rubies!
as they are hard to come by and so precious to loose!

-END-

(jazz..)

DestinyDom:'Let my People go'

2007-02-02T02:39:00.000-08:00

Destinydom:waitin',Anticipatin'
Praisin'
The revelation to them then commence
Them who deluded to my very existence
Now cursing my actions claiming they weren't civil?
But who's to deny I lived medevial
and in His time , nothing's trivial!
Destinydom:For me now awaits
so turn over to a new page
and loose the rage
I'm the bird that flew from its prison cage
I gave you all the clues
Heck, I even clothed in black
but your light would'nt shine enough
to ease the dark for you to se my tracks
Now I understand...
I wasn't a dilemna
to you, just an enigma!
Destinydom:Waitin' , Anticipatin'.

End of part 2

Destinydom:A few hours and counting..

2007-01-30T02:33:00.000-08:00

Destinydom: a few hours and counting..
Fantasizing..
cradledom has but long envisaged
a protagonist's triumph
in his life-paradigm's play
However nondescript
Desire still stood;despite the delay!
The remnants of a wish
The treasure of a promise
The Prompt in the blessing
Commensurate of a Father's love to his child
Destinydom:a few hours and counting..

End of Part 1

Proverbs..the gikuyu way..

2007-01-27T03:41:00.000-08:00

This served as an appetiser to mine eyes...if only i could talk gikuyu fluently..

Gikuyu proverbs...

Angîmîtuîria na ûmîrîte ndangîmîona rikiî.

He who seeks his goat with the man who ate it, is certain not to find it.

Gakunywo kagîra thooko

The fool takes many people with him.

Kîrimû gîa gwîkîgia kîrûgîte kîa mûciarîre

He who feigns to be stupid is more stupid than the stupidborn.

Kûrita nî kûru

It is bad to be a fool.

Mbugi ndîkîrîte mûriha

The bell needs its tongue.(In this proverb the word “bell” means “woman”, and “tongue” means “man.”

more from where this came from. Sass out Uhuru's blog

kikuyumoja's realm..

The right path!

2007-01-27T00:19:00.000-08:00

Take a solemn minute of silent and intrude my world
Ingenuity and Ignorance seems to be taking the same path
In chosing patience to understand the mystery
I tend to encourage ignorance yet I have to be patient.hmmm..

Ingeniuty comes from within and should I be keen ,
It will manifest and its product be seen
The pedestal to purpose, the tune to my music , the key to prosperity ,the strength to will
The price to pay..for seeking deeper onto myself ;Everyday
It all lies there to be discovered, exposed and thus explored.

Yet my world keeps turning, taking with it precious minutes ne'er to be seen again
With a fight, my purpose shall I attain for I believe I have everything in me to archieve
and be all I am meant to be.
I choose the path to Ingenuity!

*reprinted
(as written on 30/01/05 as @11.56 pm)

Let Love Be..

2007-01-26T23:52:00.000-08:00

U.N.I.T.Y is all we need.
L.O.V.E be what we give.
R.E.S.P.E.C.T should we all grant to one another.

The cry of a bereaved one is hard to comfort.
The genuine thing I can do is be there for them in their time of sorrow;
Somehow be an extension of hope for the better 'morrow
and thus letting the touch of peace reighn and with it..
Let love be what it was meant to be.Love!

The memory of a lost soul can never be erased.
Their spirit and legacy is left forever with us
binding me among the rest of us who remain with a social responsibility;
Let love be what it was meant to be.Love!

I reflect upon the empty spaces left void for me to fill.
Forever, always be with me;
I condemn the killing of precious lives
spewing of innocent blood in a pledge of honour
for a political gain on a misguided righteous template.
why?
I cry for Love to cascade thru our hearts of stone
Were all brothers and sisters
together
In U.N.I.T.Y
In L.O.V.E
With R.E.S.P.E.C.T

*reprinted
(as written on 7/8/05 as @12 pm)

(in loving memory of the 7th august 1998 bomb blasts victims ,their families and friends.We love you.Always in my heart.)

FAITH

2007-01-26T23:41:00.000-08:00

Faith is a strange phenomenon.
All I ever wanted to know is the body and character of Faith.
It keeps me guessing with anxiety weighing heavy in my heart
I've been perplexed beyong measure, shaken beyond belief
All the while, I trod along the dotted lines of ignorance.

Faith is a silent Teacher.
The invisible friend I try to comprehend.
She teaches out aloud yet doesnt utter a word
Rebukes severly but I'm yet to see her chastising rod
She runs that school inside our heads and hearts.
I am still one of her students so I write...

Faith is a prudent rewarder.
If you can let your heart concieve and your mind believe,
Faith lets you to archieve and thus recieve
A bag of blessings with your name careully etched on it!
But... one thing you have to do..I don't know it yet.
For now,Just Believe!

*reprinted
(as written on 7/08/05)

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

2007-01-26T23:23:00.000-08:00

Indispensable should we all aim to be with one another
A strength in time of need, intruding each other world with radiant smiles
and thus shaming the unwarranted melancholy with ease.

Day by day be a shining compliment to each other;
caring aloud by being the petals of our element;Trust!
as we let the roots run deep
to solidify the bond of our love.Our character!
the fruit of which never dies.
I be to you and you to me the golden flower. My friend!

Unprecedented token of laughter; hugs and kisses,
not forgetting the kind admonition when we go wrong
All these while we remain comfortable in our own skin.
Black or White but as friends we cant help but unite
The world is ours so let our love pour!
F.R.I.E.N.D.S

*reprinted
(as written on 7/08/05)

Fools!

2007-01-23T22:09:00.000-08:00

Fools
running, battling,
schemed mission
skewed vision
yellin' and incitin'
and in their delirium
their bosses shall lie
die
with laughter
scorn and mock
as they watch the fools go up in smoke
the zeal of fools
monetarily-appeased
shall they run with tools
a mind diseased!
ignorance reeking from their nostrils
wisdom i'll pray they instill
these fools
but its that time of the year
the polluticians
hurriedly beckon in fear
of loosing their power
positions and dispositions
they've been dreaming and wielding
shall they turn to the fools
the youthful fools
to be their voice
by choice
as they sit and gloat
to their plans devout
wishing the fools will swing the votes
these crazy polluticians..
then shall they rejoice
grining from ear to ear
along with their peers
as they cast off the fools
some of whom shall die for this stupid cause
yet no remorse will they show
for the fools
the ignorant fools
the blinded fools...
whom they used and abused
when the dust settles
in early 2008!
this aint no debate..
i'm trying to propagate
so don't hate!
just relate..
and please ..
I beseech of you
Don't be a fool!

-END-

(jazz..)

inspired by mwafrika @ the WaPI concert.

WaPI aRTS N' grAFFitI concert-The Lowdown

2007-01-22T02:47:00.000-08:00

This was an event like no other!

I was honoured to be among my kind.The sun peering its rays down blessing us with the art of light .

Mwafrika,formerly of Y-FM and Buddha Blaze did an excellent job as the MC's.
I was thrilled by the young underground cats and poetic acts that graced the event and particularly humbled by the 10 year old spitting queen, volcano! I need to see this girl and her crew on a grand stage somewhere!

Hiphop was vividly represented by seasoned mc's like juliani,doobiez,kenyanna and the emerging duo of lethal dynamic and point blank,ukoo flani mau mau,Odero,among others.i'm not a hip hop cat but dude... Msanii was also lauded in absentia.Hey devant vous! wherest are thou?

Veteran spoken word poet,Njeri , Kenyanpoet:did a piece on "mwanainchi",the theme of the day ,and at some point in her poem she marvelled ".sasa mimi mwana chini ama mwananchi/Mimi mwana chizi ama mwananchi?/Wewe mwana chache ama mwananchi.. .." in ironical reference to the belittled commoners; while at the same time praising their contribution and importance to the larger society.Big Up Njeri!

Another poet ,a Kenyan residing in canada, Ian Kamau, graced the stage and rendered the Youthful and picturesque poetic pieces "Rhythm" and "Joy" that got the skin out of me and the revellers alike.. literaly.Watch out for this cat too.

Open mic session was beehived with battling hip hop mc's but some how I managed to do my theme piece "Be the voice" much to my chagrin; well,since i let myself "down" by reciting the poem from a piece of paper.I plan to memorize all my poems next time.

Grafitti and visual artists were not to be left behind as they injected life to the melancholic ,whitely dazed British council (the venue) walls thru aerosolic interpretation of african nationalism and unity! I'll be looking for those grafiti photos to blog here. watch this space.

Finally, I need also mention the contribution of G.H.E.T.T.O naratist,Biko who informed us on the importance of arts and culture.He also informed us that ghetto simply meant "getting higher education to teach others" */lol*. Plus ,djibril ,The stand up comedian was very appealing to the participants and attendees with his wit and humour. Though he can do better with less profanity next time.

Worthy of note is the fact that the Kenyan Art Scene is growing and improving for the better so to all artists out there,keep the fire burning. In addition, the world social forum delegates in attendance were not ,at any one moment, let down by the show!

The next WaPI (words and pictures) arts expo and concert will be held on February 10th 2007.

Why Goodbye?

2007-01-19T03:45:00.001-08:00

Why should we say goodbye?
are we earthly plants that come and die?
Why the do we believe the lie?
That tells us we should'nt give it just one more try?

Like oiled hands to a white linen
You sure left a mark on my heart
the first time that I saw you and I wished we'd never part.
But life has its own subtle way of tearing people apart
now your gone..
memories' blown
misery now's fully grown
why goodbye?

I've keep longing the touch of your hand
how our fingers used to intwine perfectly into each other
the warmth of the bond we shared
and we understood
our destiny would be good..
now I sit here, wishing of you, your unique scent
why u said goodbye...
when the gift love was meant to live forever.

why goodbye? Then,
why goodbye?
just cast it off and let it fly?
the chance of having you as my wife
I could, in my life
now i put onto paper this lousy ,bitter poem
The piece of you that I held
washed down into the obscured, estranged stream
vanished into the moon's pale beam
and now you are just a dream
since you've left
I still ask
why goodbye?

-END-

based on a true story.I will miss you girl.

(jazz..)

Quintessence of a woman!

2007-01-18T23:39:00.000-08:00

The woman you are!
The cornerstone of human rhythm,
and the substance of passion,
beauty finds her soul in your loving embrace
yet your balance your hectic world with such matchless grace!
The woman you are!

Woman you are!
when you hold me in your bosom
as an infant, a baby, and you feed me
I'm a young boy, you tutor me and i've grown..
still there beside me, unrelenting, to the man i'm meant to be.
The woman you are!

Woman you are!
The voice of an imprisoned dream,
The strength to a burdened heart,
The smile that lights up a thousand faces,
The stride that claims you the spaces to own them places
The mother,the daughter of zion,the lover!
The woman you are!

A child borne of a rib!
A paradox of unparalled measure!
An enchantment of feminine granduer!
The woman you are!

-END-

(jazz..)

I too got tagged ... by the AlphaQuadman!

2007-01-18T00:09:00.001-08:00

In carrying on with the same theme by the tagful mentalacrobatics...

Here are 5 things you didn't know about me:

1) I fear birds.seriously.I am a bird-o-phorbic! if theres a word like that.I am among the few,incredibly rare species left .It stems from when i was like "this high", and my village aunt came visiting with a pig-sized cockerel;in her self instilled annual let-him-hold-the-bird-by-the-feet toughning me up process,that my mum allowed her to indulge without a word,the bird jerked furiously and its claws dug into my tender hands!--(FYI,i poisoned the bird the next day)--

Ever since, i've hated and avoided live chicken,turkeys,eagles,vultures ;you name it.At least im man enough up to admit this,since ,well, were living in the metrosexual-male infested society who go for facials,manicure,the works..though categorically i aint one of them.

2) I'll do anything to make sure I have the crust (of the bread).Its never availiable nowadays thanks to the evolution of sliced bread in the early nineties.I did'nt switch to cereals as they never satisfy my morning hunger.How good the old days were....>>

3)I'm generally ashamed especially after you have visited someone and you have to leave, im asked "ahhh why are you leaving so soon..?","please stay, supper is almost ready.."hey don't they know thats the reason you are leaving..*lol(sorry Peggy,I heard you became a good cook)*lol

4)I hate beans!I hate beans! I hate beans!-don't ask me why..they have a tendency of scaring any human being standing within a radius of a metre or further from me whilst making faces at me.I heard its their(beans) natural digestive way to indicate to you and those close to you that your stomach organs are fully functional...I STILL HATE BEANS!

5)I once was told by my primary school sweetheart that the best kissers,men that is, are obsessed with their ears.Enough said! Mythical or not, You can't convince me otherwise.

tagged:

PunditZone.The REAL soccer pundits - to our fans, remember,even doves cry.
Muki garang- I'd love to see a seasoned poet take on this.
Lauryn hill blog- i still believe i will marry her..aint she stil a knockout?:)

same here, if you read this and laughed consider urself "tagged" too.

Perfect imperfections!

2007-01-17T00:46:00.000-08:00

The young zulu boy responded...
"Dont look at me in dismay.
curses dont beleague my land as you claim to say!
with pride..
i still devout to my pilgrim's way
I wonder,who best to know
that beyond the scorching sun
the traditions of my earthly clan
hope has a home
in the heart of this african son!
who sees through
the perfect imperfections".

The ostrasized blue-eyed mexican girl added...
"They looked at me with sorrow
But they didn't know of my tommorow
Denied me the books
cast me among the crooks
but my dream still held on to the hook
and with my looks
i graced the covers
travelled the world all over
a model like no other.
who could have guessed
with all my success..lay
my perfect imperfections".

The orphaned jewish twins continued..
"They took our parents from us
undignified bloodbath that prevailed at a cost
killed away love but not the purpose
we prevailed the Great Holocaust
the hate.The confusion.
but now the sun shines
building hope like the wall to the vine
a divine design!
we are alive
and we made through..
our perfect imperfections.

(to be continued..)
i've lost ideas..help!!

Be the voice!-a poem on sanctity.

2007-01-16T05:53:00.000-08:00

(I lost the initial,original copy of this poem as i did not save it...i wrote this one ,much of it changed and different ,but still kept the theme..)
lesson learnt:NEVER,EVER FAIL TO SAVE YOUR PIECES FIRST!!!!

BE THE VOICE
pleasurable pain.
with it the feign.
the chills and the nigglings
the soft whispers; the random hands
Uncharacteristic bellows ;in agony; in appeasement
they indulge
to purge of the scorn and scoff of their peers
to fulfill the media's petulant intimidation
as if to chastise the lies long held in their memory
a wish they keenly , hurriedly want realised
in the moment, sanctity is blemished
Destiny's demised.
in a minute, or two, or three, the love turns to curse
and then worse..

who cares for this dying generation?
who values those of its kindred?
Them who have no boundary to their limits
with a passion that knows one master.
Disaster!
ignorantly they jump,
hurriedly they bump,
and arrogantly they dump!
them who don't percieve
the doom behind the grief
Of a broken heart,
Of a dillusional society,
Of an orphaned child ,
Of an incubate dream,
Of a reality after the bliss ,
A disease without cure.

who shall light the path?
where's the city on a hill?
they seek the evading gold plated will
justifying their errant misdemeanors claiming its an achilles heel'
Please!
cease this modern day slavery
and unto this idiosyncrasy..
Stomp!
There's more to life than this!

who shall teach those of their ilk?
if only,curb the hazardous leak.
who shall rekindle the smouldering wick?
do we hide inside our impermeable fortress or open the knowledge floodgates?
do we let the graves posses their fate?
as we gossip and envy them in hate?
avoiding our responsibility in dubious haste?

I think not.
I will not.
I choose to be among the voices
I choose to let discipline triumph over desire
to seek and inquire
if only to inspire
learn and share
to all and sundry;anyone who gives a care..
consequences and lessons left to me to bear...
that there's more to life than these
for to life devious temptations
there's a God-laid foundation
an anchor's preservation
To always remind myself
to heed the voice
keep the voice
and
be the voice!

-END-

(jazz..)

Ngugi Wa Thio'ngo-Book Launch!

2007-01-16T00:14:00.000-08:00

Ngugi Wa Thio'ngo, The world renowned author of "The petals of Blood","The River between","Ngaahika Ndeeda" among other notable collections and writtings, launched his latest book "Wizard of the crow" ;an english translation and version of his vernacular hit"Murogi wa Kagogo" at the University of Nairobi ,Taifa Hall ,on monday .

He also gave a public lecture at the same venue.

This latest novel."wizard of the crow" was rated among 2006 top books in Europe and the US.
Time magazine's Europe edition, which reviewed the best books in Africa, Europe and the Middle East, placed Wizard of the Crow at No 3 in the survey, in which Welsh writer Jan Morris's Hav and Carmen Callil's Bad Faith: A Forgotten History of Family and Fatherland were the top two.

Read more..

WoRDs aND pICTurES!-(slam poetry)

2007-01-15T23:14:00.000-08:00

The Slam poetry returns!

With more vigour and vitality.Indeed ,and ideally, the spoken spaces and poetic platforms has come to be and accustomed itself as a regular feature in Nairobi.

British council(now opposite Rahimtulla Towers,Upper Hill) opens its doors one saturday of every month to welcome budding poets,lyricists and creative artists for a day of art-buffet!

I'll be knocked off my feet if seasoned poets' like Imani,Muki Garang,Tony Mochama,the highly-pundit-rated , rising star Marion Viona,Otieno Amisi,Grandmaster Masese, and not forgetting the diamond -in-the-ruff Devant Vous a.k.a David Kuria(mi small bro) could all attend and take the roof from the house..and burn it!

Come all y'all and keep our artistic fire burning and get consumed!

-END-

VENUE: British Council, Upper Hill
DATE: 20th January
TIME: 9am - 3 pm
FEATURING: Verbal, Visual and Graffiti artists
CHARGES: Free

Tribute to an Rn'B Legend.

2007-01-15T03:21:00.000-08:00

I have always planned to blog this tribute , but somehow, I kept on forgetting.

Atlantic Records confirmed,one of their staple and indeed reputable artist and legend,
Gerald Levert died of an apparent heart attack while in his sleep at his Cleveland-area home on NOovember 10,2006 at the age of 40 .Sister 2 Sister magazine reported that Gerald and his father had just returned from a 10-day trip to South Africa where they had met with Nelson Mandela. He had three children Lemicah,Carlysia and Camryn .

May God rest His soul in eternal peace.

Youth Enterprise Devt. Fund.

2007-01-14T23:18:00.000-08:00

I have been a keen follower of this just and so to speak empowering youth fund initiative from our beloved govt. This scheme will enable kenyan "youth",myself included, to gradually gravitate from being an average job seeker to a wholesome job creator.

Read more to find out how one can become a potential loanee of this fund..

Kenyan parliament-uncovered!

2007-01-12T02:42:00.000-08:00

As my political-savvy, informational enthusiasts and kenyan bloggers will have me say..."najivunia kuwa mkenya". read:"i'm proud to be kenyan" .

But to take this a step further,some ingenious blogger ,kenyan,residing in south africa,has an very interesting website that has about everything u need to know about kenyan parliament,parliamentarians ,its activities and ventures.

Anything you require..on a need- t0- know-basis,you can get it . check out the site..

The Infinite Yardstick!

2007-01-11T22:50:00.000-08:00

The pillar of justice and the friend to honesty.

She defiles none but exemplifies herself.
The swing of her stride and the bounce of her unique persona
that is swooned over by righteous men while vagabonds scatter at her sound.

Her eyes peep beyond the surface and purity adorns her neck.
Pundits are ashamed at her charm yet the less she speaks the more they sink in stupor!
Her tenets exalts intergrity among her equals to win over her hardlined enemies.

No room is large to contain her.
Rivers burst their bunks when she swims ..and
The sun hides timidly at her bright while the stars wont shine if she is taken for granted.

No one can judge her but herself yet thru' her all things are set free.
She does'nt set any standards as She is the standard.The yardstick.The finality!
The only thing that begets her is... herself.

She gives colour to anything one utters in honesty.The white in black and the light in dark.
An oasis in the desert and the stunning rainbow after the storm.

She boast of her perpetual youth and she is truly revered by the old and wise;
Often quoting an age old philosophy that transcends time.

Rich is Him that wins her heart and abides to her.
Her kisses demeans honey to a bitter herb and her song is praised the world over
but arrogance she will never wear!

Such is the love of my life; the substance of my strive.
Her fragrance sorrounds me everyday and to her I devout myself in every way...

TRUTH IT IS, TRUTH IT WAS, TRUTH SHALL ALWAYS BE!

(Inspired by proverbs 12:19)

-END-

(jazz..)

Kwani?-Kenya literature zone!

2007-01-11T04:39:00.000-08:00

Kwani? is a journal founded by some of Kenya 's most exciting new writers, and published by Kwani Trust. The Kwani? web journal has been in existence for close to three years now. Kwani? has published 3 editions of the book to date.
Before Kwani? Kenyans had stopped buying and reading literary material outside of school texts. In three years, we have sold over 5000 copies of the journal, and have gotten a new generation of Kenyans reading. All together 30, 000 Kenyans have read Kwani? and we continue to grow. Kwani? is a serious publication – over 300 pages of new journalism and fiction of experimental writing, poetry, cartoons photographs, literary travel writing, creative non-fiction, yet we sell more copies than all Kenyan popular magazines, except Parents and Eve magazine. Much is said about a lack of a reading culture in Kenya; what we have found is that the literary intelligentsia, together with African publishers and founders of literary projects have lost touch with a new generation of Africans who are sick of being talked down to; who are seeking to understand the bewildering world around them – to be validated in print.
This year Kwani Trust will publish a quarterly magazine and several books including the memoirs of Joseph Muthee, who spent five years in Kenya 's British concentration camps the 1950s. This memoir, a valuable historical document of a little-known period of our history is bound to cause waves. We will publish it in its original Kiswahili and in and English translation. An oral version, filmed and distributed by cassette in Gikuyu, will also be produced.
Kwani Trust has received institutional funding from The Ford Foundation for these projects since 2003.

Simple things..

2007-01-09T03:27:00.000-08:00

The break of dawn wecomes the mellow chirping
of the african swallows
the dew glitters as it arbsorbs the gentle,invading sunrays
and the morning is done
These are the life treasures..the simple things!

The stillness of the night harbours darkness
yet the white diamonds scatter across the sky
with the crescent moon perfecting their bond...
and in all these ,lies the simple things!

That genuine smile that breaks even a soldier's
and those lovely arms encircle his massive frame
and in her eyes,he sees forever,together..
I'll tell you..these are the simple things!

The midwife's knife gently severes the silver cord
after the golden bown is aptly broken
A cry of anguish preceeds as the bundle of joy suceeds!
to me,this has no equal...The simple things!

The guitar,The butterfly,That timely hug,A kiss in the rain,
A scenic view atop the bearing cliff with your son in tow,
A lover's locomotive ride once in a while,
A burdened heart with an attentive ear,
A heartfelt prayer,a decent meal,You and me..
We are the simple things!
So lets us be!

-END-

(jazz..)