In our time

God is a God who has always been relevant, He always came to people in a manner that they could understand and relate with. That’s the reason why we follow Him, because of His track record & His consistency throughout the history of mankind.

When Jesus spoke to farmers & herdsmen, He spoke in a language of sheep; when He spoke to fishermen, they didn’t think there was anything fishy in His speech or language, that’s because He spoke a language they could understand & relate with. He got them hook, line & sinker in a netted boat that sometimes saw rocky roaring seas. But He was relevant to them nonetheless, that is why they followed Him even when at times things did not make sense.

Paul, in his life as Saul, lived to steer people away from what they believed & ridiculed those who followed the Christian faith, trying to show them that it was not the way to go; atleast that’s what he thought and believed. Maybe he would feel that I do him an injustice when I say he “tried” proving them stupid for what they believed- that’s because Saul was no negotiator. He didn’t sit people down around the table & reasoned with them about his beliefs & about how they should turn away from the “ridiculous” things they believed. I can just imagine that if he did, he would come to them asking if they would allow him the opportunity to do them a favour and set them free from their snare of foolishness. He would tell them that they were making a spectacle of themselves & that he had come to help them maintain the little of their dignity and integrity they still had left.

But like I said, Saul was no negotiator. So, when God came to meet with him, He did not negotiate His plan with Saul. He dealt with Saul in the way in which he would understand & relate with- He just stopped him in his tracks & killed him. In the same way that Saul believed there was not enough room in the world for his doctrine and that of Christ, God saw that there was not enough room for Saul & Paul to co-exist. Saul had to die so that Paul could live.

The time we live in is no different, the Lord still wants to speak to us not only through 5 loaves of bread & 2 small fish; but He wants us to come & reason together as He says in the book of Isaiah. He has given us gifts & talents, now He calls us up to come meet with Him in the secret place so that He can show us how we should use them for His glory.

Even in our time, God wants to know what is in our hand that He can use to deliver His people from the captivity that they are in. The Pharaoh was good to teach us what God could do, but it is now time that we let Moses rest. We have sung his praises & tried to be like him, but the work he had been called to do was finished long ago. 

 When God calls me & you, it won’t be through a burning bush, because the bush was burning to catch Moses’s attention. A burning bush said a lot to Moses as a herdsman, it could have meant a possibility of his livestock burning up or starving as a result of the burning bush, that’s why he was interested & drew near to investigate.

Sadly, there are boundaries we have set for ourselves as Christian, without basis. Maybe out of fear? There are territories that we have marked to be the devil’s turf, wrongly so. As a result we don’t explore the gifts and talents that God has given us, because we all want to walk on water & we fear being associated with what we have misguided people to believe is ungodly. It is not mine to walk on water, it is not mine to strike rocks & water springs forth from them. The water I am called to walk on is believing that God will give me wisdom & creative wit to write out scripts that will make it big, not for me, but for His Kingdom’s sake. The rocks I have to strike are the barriers that have been ear marked for the devil in the entertainment industry, & out of that, people will receive life giving water, in a way that makes sense to them & is relevant to them.  

The Arts do not belong to the devil, that is a sad lie, however, that believers have believed. The enemy is not creative in any way, God is the Creator, therefore all creatorial power rests in Him, & I am a co-creator with Him. The latter says then, that the creative arts belong to me as a child of God. All that the enemy can do is pervert what a child of God has created, so, it is time that we claim back the creative arts & make them to be about the Creator.

As creative people, it is up to us to go into the enemy’s camp IN OUR TIME & take back what rightfully belongs to us, to our Father. It is long overdue that we create an environment that our brothers & sisters find homely & a place that they too belong. The heart of God is that all may come to know the truth so that the truth can set them free. We can’t however, reach everyone from the pulpit, but God has given us what we need to be History makers, world changers. Let us step out & step on it as the young people & show the world that Music, Dance, Poetry, Spoken Word, Acting, Writing & Theatre can be used as tools to spread the Gospel.

I have now clad my feet with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace….now, anyone who wants to join me in making waves for the Kingdom of God…..READY, STEADY, WE GOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

He’s a whimsical God

Have you ever had a deep longing to do something that made absolutely no sense? Something that you could not even explain to yourself, let alone to someone else?

Well, about 2 weeks back I had this deep urge to go to the beach, I tried to fight it for a while, but it just would not go away. Mind you, this was not over a weekend while I was taking time out at home; it was on a weekday, and I was at work. I thought that it would just go away, but it didn’t, it just took away my productivity.....I had to go.

So, like a child, I went and stood outside my boss’s office and “pre-pented” (the act of repenting before you commit a sin, hahaha).  Being the amazing person he is, maybe also because the favour of God is on those He has called,  my boss told me it was okay for me to come back late from lunch.

As I got into a taxi to go the beach, I had a lot of questions about my trip, but no answers, all I knew is that I had to go. When I got there, I walked around for a few minutes, hoping to find something that would capture my attention and raise curiosity like the burning bush did for Moses. Also kinda hoped that God would come and part the ocean or do something as whimsical as that....but none of that. Everything and everyone seemed normal, there was no homeless looking old man with a long grey beard to meet me with a board that directed my next step or with a note from heaven. Such a disappointment!!!

I then decided, because I was running out of time, I’d find a place to seat and maybe there I might find a message in a bottle or something as queer as that; I mean, who would not expect that after being practically pulled by the nose to go to a place you would otherwise not go, not willingly. As I found a rock to seat on- a very uncomfortable one I must add, I started beholding the ocean and following the king-fishers that were flying about, anticipating that  one of them would come  and perch on my shoulder and start talking to me....maybe not; but hey, something had to give, and it had to be extra ordinary, otherwise I would have wasted time going down to the beach and using a “favour” from my boss unnecessarily.

There was nothing happening, so I had to ask: “God, why did you bring me here?” As though He had been waiting forever for me to ask, He told me to look at the expanse of the sea, and as I did, He said “that’s how much I love you”. Ok, maybe you are thinking I might have been blown over by that...I’m sorry to say this, but I was very disappointed. I actually made my disappointment known and told God there was no revelation in that, that I already knew. As soon as I said those, I looked over my right shoulder, and there was a young lady taking a stroll. Then it happened.....God made His plans known for having brought me to that place. I can still hear the voice that beckoned me to step over the chicken line: ‘Tell HER that as vast as the ocean is, that’s how much I love her”. Whaaaat! I must do what?

Now was as good as any time for me to start bargaining with God, I tried to wangle my way out of this one. I explained to God that when I said “out of the norm” I didn’t mean that far out. Phew, I was beginning to sweat from fear of coming across as “weird” to this woman I didn’t even know. Okay, I know I’ve been accused of being “weird” and “random” a lot of times before...but this would take that to another level. I didn’t have much time to decide. While I was still trying to get over myself, it seems like the girl also heard something, because she came to sit right next to me. As she greeted, I couldn’t help but laugh, I’m sure she thought I was being rude. Until I told her what had happened just a few seconds before she joined me; she just looked at me and I could see her well up with tears, until she could no longer hold back the flood that had been waiting to be released. Now that is a good day in the Kingdom of God. We started talking and she told me of how she had been feeling that God had turned His back on her and how she was suicidal and saw no value in her life....but God had a plan. She told of how she had travelled for over an hour in a taxi that day, just to get to the beach to “clear her head”. We spoke for what seemed to be a minute, well, that’s because we were both awe-struck. Turns out that it was almost an hour that we were seating there and talking about the goodness of God....then I remembered, I had to go back to work. I had to cut this beautiful experience short, but its effect was by no means short, not for either of us.

Don’t you wish life was like this everyday? Well, it could be, it might not mean going to the beach everyday, the appointed place may be different for all of us. All that is required though is being yielded to the Spirit of God and allow Him to carry you where He pleases. Like me, you might not have the courage to step over the chicken line, but once you have taken the first step and say “yes I will go” even though it makes no logical sense, He will fit all else in its place. He is a whimsical God and He wants all of us to join in on the fun. This story blesses me whenever I hear it in my head, sometimes I also hear it from my heart.

I speak to the lady every now and again, and she always assures me that this day was a good day for her too. I am happy I was part of God showing up, I’ll be a link in His chain all day every day if that’s what is required of me.   There is so much fun in being with Him.

A sound unheard...

This heart in me dances to a rhythm unknown, twirls & glides to a song to others unheard.

My being attempts to comprehend, but it’s all in vain for the rhythm remains unfathomed.

In a language that only You, I and no other could understand, U wrote words to this song,

Now in a voice that only I can decipher, You sing these words over me.

With rhythms I and only I can hear, the song fills the universe in me within.

A new song rises up within me, in response to the colours that You paint, a tapestry comes through as the life I live in honor of the song You are & sing.

With ways and thoughts that lead to the everlasting, to the reaches unreached & depths untouched, the song calls me deeper, & there I wait to sing with You for eternity.

You are singing over me, and the only recourse is to dance to the beat that comes not only from Your lips but is sung with the heart that is Love.  

As I allow You to teach me, step by step the Waltz in Your heart, the rhythm becomes clear to those around me. They now join in on the dancing, though they have not yet heard the song, but the dance has called them to Your life.

I step aside awhile and allow the new to be enveloped in Your arms, that they also might get their rhythm, the rhythm found only in Your bosom.

They begin to dance to a new song that only they can hear, a song that is different to the one You sing over me, & yet the songs You sing & the dance all come together as one.

You create a harmonious sound & beat with the life You in each one pour out & live, as each of us dances to a rhythm only he & You can hear.

A sweet scent permeates to those within reach, & by the scent they are drawn to You. To them You hand jars of oil, filled with varying scents & substances that create a wondrous symphony.

Seamlessly, with new instruments, the musicians partake in the festivity, for though they also hear a different song, they are one with the overall Song.

In words that none other than You can hear, poets begin to render to You admiration for who You are.

As all nations come together in the rhythm of Your heart, You have made us all one, for the Glory of the One who created the song we sing….now the sound unheard has become the sound that all nations hear & dance to as one….

In the vine....maybe not

She praises him for having provided & he in return, thanks her for sewing together what is to be their apparel, their covering & their shield from starkness.

In fig tree leaves he covers himself, convinced that his shame would not be known, that his nakedness would be exposed no longer.

Believing that he has cracked a mystery, he shares his discovery with the one who is part of him, the one who is bone of his bones, whose flesh grows from the bone extracted from he.

       Behold, they take to their part as man & wife, yielding themselves one to another; in unity they stand convinced that they are still one, complete, better than before even.

Their emptiness & death hidden in the very leaf of the tree that has exterminated them, they walk around covered in material that will within no time wilt, because it was never meant for the purpose they have now affixed it.

He provides a shelter for her to make a home, a place where they can bury the shame that they carry in them & cannot escape. They hide from Truth, though He calls them out.

Now 2000 years later, none the wiser, as she lay with him, in a moment of intimacy, she asks him “do you have protection.” Again, to her he yields & she also to he, for see, they are one. Man & wife. Or maybe not.

Their life has become a sequence of deceit centred around covering the shame they suppose no one else will perceive.

Now their death has come in the night like a thief & has made its residence their every vein, being pumped every second into their whole being, making wilt the life within.

 Protection?

Devoted to covering up the lie, they have made again “fig tree leaves” a garment, deceiving themselves more than anyone else to believe that their shame & death is not in them, because they have “Protection”.

Protection from what? Facing up to their actions? Now he says it was her & she pronounces it was  another. It was not their fault no, they were just victims. So they say.

But Truth has come for them, in His hand He carries flesh, His very flesh, as John says He, the Word was always there, He was in He & He in Him & He became flesh.

Truth sews together a garment for them, made up of Flesh, that they may be fully restored to their original form, to the image of He. For He made them in the beginning with no material that would wither, but with His Flesh.

It’s simple really, He has come to remove from them the leaves that have withered around their waists, causing their nakedness to lay exposed & out in the cold. He now arrays them with His very being, Him Flesh

He is flesh & flesh is Word & Word is He. He is the centre of it al. The image & likeness He made them in, He is now giving back to them, that they may seek no longer a fake sense of protection but rest protected by Him in them & them in He- flesh. Now they are in the vine, where they belong & where they shall, as commanded.....MULTIPLY!!

Faithfulness defined

A song of ascents.

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

Who I am not

What a week it’s been; nothing less than life changing!!

Realisation: In our daily lives, there are so many things that we are told about ourselves & we believe. Whether or not they are true somewhat becomes immaterial. Could this be that we are by nature hungry for validation by others? I don’t know, but what I now know & wish I’d known long ago is that I don’t need anyone to tell me what I am or not. That’s Gods job, & He’s done a great job giving me my identity, so thanks for your opinion, but  please accept that it will by no means sculpt me; don’t expect it to because then you will surely be disappointed.

Someone once said that “if you don’t know yourself, people will tell you who you are”. I fell prey to this for the longest time, unaware. I let people define me & who I was not, and I just lived according to their prescriptions & their definition of me. I have now learnt that no one but God knows who I am because He is the One who made me & He’s the One who knows the purpose for the artwork that I am.

This is just a loud thought, meant to encourage you to seek your identity & validation not from others but from God. 

Most times, people are not meaning ill towards you when they tell you you are this or that, it’s just that they are also trying to figure out the intricacies of the mystery God created you to be. When they find to their dismay that they don’t have the answers, they come up with answers. Mostly misguided & based on human analogies, which are often just mankind’s way to convince that he is in control.  

These people are like a blind man looking for a black cat in a dark room, & they see it. Basically, they will find something to “define” you by, though they don’t know. I suppose no one wants to appear as though they are clueless. But reality is....we are clueless. We can never decipher people,  we may have ideas of some parts of who they might be. So don’t ever allow anyone but God to tell you who you are.

There may be a lot of things I don’t know about who I am, but what I know is what Im not, & that is what YOU say I AM!!

Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”