Camp Chronicles

It’s called a camp when you go to the wilderness, sleep in tents and (maybe) have overnight campfires with open roasts and cooked up tales. We have savoured none of these choice luxuries at the just concluded youth camp (Sunday 23rd to Sunday 30th December 2012 at Nyadero Primary School).

We slept in classrooms, not tents; for bedding we spread reed mats on a hard concrete floor. It took me a while to decide that sleep was even possible. Even the weather militated against a good night’s rest: the rain fell exclusively at night; water leaked through holes in the rusty corrugated iron roof and torrents poured in through gaping glass-free windows. And just when one was getting the hang of this sleep thing, the camp bell rang well before the crack of dawn. (I had a mind to go home after the first totally drenched night but something told me to endure.) And the food was not exactly five-star fare. Consider this: for a whole week’s diet, twenty-six of us (my contingent) spent around seven thousand shillings total. So you can picture the Spartan situation. Fortunately we didn’t skip a meal and yet still had five shillings left over. Five bob change! Economies of scale are a miracle!

Eventually, despite these seeming setbacks, the overall experience was worth the minor discomforts. The camp program, the whole raison d’être, from the second hour of daylight to the third hour of night, was the redeeming factor. Between songs by talented youth choirs, we heard courageous teachers of the Word who were not afraid to offend. Yes, offend – that’s what the truth does if you aren’t straight with it. They also managed to be witty and informative while we delved into the puzzling and ponderous matters of Biblical prophecy, of visions of beasts with multiple heads. God willing, I will share some of those teachings on this blog. We also sang a lot, I love to sing – hymns, choruses, songs.

There was soccer in the evenings to look forward to. As regular readers should know by now, this was a major plus for me. I scored all of four goals, making me unofficial top scorer (applauds self), though it figures, since I was the only one with studded boots on a muddy pitch full of barefoot opponents (the rain, remember?) However, tragedy struck: I missed the “final match” on Thursday due to absence though my side still won the match.

The camp’s social scene was a refreshing change for me. The presence of a whole bunch of like-minded youths infuses the environment with palpable energy. Typically I squandered the opportunity to get to know some good beautiful people and maybe take their numbers.

There were many little ones who liked me. It’s easy to like them but it’s really hard when the children like you. They do not get tired of playing and climbing all over you and parroting your name and testing your intelligence/patience just to see how ”philanthropic” you are. Lesson learnt: good parenting = nerves of steel. Can I hack it? I don't know.

As we cleared the "campsite" this morning it occurred to me that the opportunity to spend a whole week immersed in the Word of GOD is a rare privilege nowadays. Already we are hearing of people in the US who are arrested and tried in court for holding Bible studies in their own houses. Religious freedom as we enjoy today is fading away as the end times dusk sets in. We best make use of whatever remains of it – these are “the things that belong to our peace” that we take for granted; the water that we only miss when the well runs dry. I say this because:
AMOS 8:11-12 

“Behold, the days come”, saith the Lord God, “that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.”

LUKE 19:41-44 

And when he (Jesus) was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

ISAIAH 55:6

Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.

We are sleeping

The end comes with judgment and tribulation because we, the inhabitants of the world, have by our deeds brought it upon ourselves.

JEREMIAH 24:5-6

{24:5} The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. 

{24:6} Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

The curse has devoured the land, literally and figuratively, through all types of pollution and abominations. We are living in perilous times. One would expect to be found staying alert, but we are spiritually asleep and blind to the true danger we are faced with. Despite all appearances to the contrary, economic crisis is only a symptom and not really the world’s current predicament. The real problem is sin.

Insecurity, crime entice fear. Money and insurance are the new security. Money is the god and lifeblood of the entire world system. Likewise, traps and snares multiply around us to numb our attentions, to waste our energies, to divert our best efforts to vain pursuits, to lead us to our death, in the name of entertainment. The devil walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, yet we have slept.

Strident warnings have been given to us to proclaim and thus wake others up. But we who call ourselves the people of GOD are in as dire need of repentance as the world. By their fruits ye shall know them, a good tree cannot bear bad fruit.

The oracles of GOD are the way of life - a rich blessing, not an exclusive heritage meant for the few. They are freely offered for all who have ears to hear, widely proclaimed. The Gospel is a benign trust which all its recipients are inspired and expected to share with as many others as possible. Go into all the world and make disciples of men. The power of the Word is that no matter how much it is shared, it does not lose its power. But we are sleeping in total disregard for the prize in hand.

GOD’s warnings would have us pay attention to the message, search our hearts and repent. Our Creator warns us to repent from our evil ways, invites us to put our trust in Him, calls us to touch not the unclean thing – to come out of Babylon. Though the world may not end today or tomorrow (nobody knows the hour of Christ’s coming), nobody is assured of tomorrow either! Death does not make appointments. Now is all we have to wake up.

Lesson Retention FAIL

Loneliness has a way of bringing thoughts into sharp focus. Between work, family and soccer, my social initiative is dead in the water. I have been alone before, so I can deal with it - not complaining. Usually I just start to think and see where that leads me.

Starting a relationship just for the sake of company would be toxic. Men being wired the way we are (susceptible to visual cues with instant reflexes), loneliness often takes on aspects of actual physical pain harder to resist than obey. I CAN SEE how easily a hormone-harassed man would turn to transitory relationships to gratify passing urges.

But that would be rash. Nowadays you think you know someone but they are so sunk in their preoccupations that you can't tell how thrown off you are. Any individual's brain contains a whole virtual universe populated with memories, plans and emotions. Some people's internal worlds are thriving ecosystems, others are polluted wastelands.

"The unexamined life is not worth living," said someone wise. The more I examine my life, the less examined it has been these last few months. I have been lax. I want to blame on it getting my enthusiasm worn down by "the system" - an easy scapegoat within reach - but that wouldn't be the full picture.

The things we admit into our minds yield us thoughts and actions. You can't "un-watch" or "un-hear" or "un-know" something once its past the gate. I am learning this the hard way. Better to switch off the TV or else, before you know it, that program you thought was a sitcom has got you having impure ideas.

It's a sign of immaturity when I have to learn the same lessons over and over again by repeating the same mistakes. Growth will be the day I can stop flogging my own back about it because it's well and truly in the past. On to new challenges ahead. (Funny how many times I seem to have reached that stage!)

Let us all strive to conform to the highest moral standard: the WORD of GOD.

PSALMS 119:9
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

White Flag

Fever is what's up right now. This mix of dizziness and weakness is alien to me, a CERTIFIED WARRIOR! Disease has caught me by surprise, how vulnerable, how fragile I have become. (Don't worry, I'm boring everybody with the details - not just you.)

Modern medicine has always earned my uninhibited suspicion. Ever since I heard of Big Pharma and the Medical-Industrial complex (I just made that term up), I have never regarded drugs, vaccines, painkillers and antibiotics the same way again. I mean, who in their right minds will fight the symptom instead of the disease? My mother knows I avoid conventional medicine, so whenever I fall sick she firmly insists that I should see a doctor. Usually we dwell upon the argument until the disease leaves. (I'm starting to realize how stubborn I am.) See, I consider doctors with the same suspicious horror with which kids consider clowns. When I have a flu I'd rather chew copious amounts of garlic until the flu surrenders. Its taste makes me weep and its scent expels housemates from my immediate vicinity, but nothing good comes easy. No pain no gain. etc.

But this time the fever is even in my joints. My nerves are a wreck. I feel like someone tore me apart and put me back together using home-made glue. Therefore we all know by now what tomorrow's itinerary looks like: I acquire a white flag, go, and plead terms of surrender with the nearest hospital. I may have to swallow bitter pill - literally. Or get injected. Or both.

(A fevered brain is not ideal to be thinking with.)

The Me Generation

Our generation is pampered unto spoilt , both relatively (comparing our parents' time) and absolutely, especially the urbanites among us. I am pointing fingers at myself as well; this confession is derived from a critical analysis of my own life as I turn 24. Having watched such unfortunate shows as "Wife Swap" and "Soulmate Tryout," I know that our third-world spoilt brats have nothing on first-world spoilt brats.

The apparent ease and comfort extends beyond childhood, especially now that we have a well-worn beaten path that defines most people's lifetimes. Default framework: go to school, graduate, get a job, start a family, get insurance, retire. Artificial systems - entire industries from healthcare to housing - have grown up around these stages of life to prop up the "commensurate" material standard of living. Their shared backbone is the system of financial usury. (Today you need a loan in some places to get a child into nursery school.) All the pains we endure to achieve this expected standard of living almost neutralize the enjoyment of any gains attained. This system, being wasteful and exploitative, is designed to take more than it gives.

It's nice to have luxuries, rights and privileges. However, there is danger when the culture inculcates a sense of entitlement in its members. The community becomes a production line of self-absorbed, antisocial workaholics, easily given to despair when a crack in the narrative shows.  Yes, there is a place for self-esteem, but the great paradox is that the higher one prides themselves in their own conceits, the less genuine esteem they earn from themselves or others. That said, a lot of popular logic is up-side down. Many of society's so-called "role-models" derive their motivational aspect from their fame and riches rather than the values they stand for. They create fans in their own moral likeness. I'm certain there was a time showing off ("flossing, balling") would have earned the extravagant braggart a concerned word of advice. Those days are gone.

Love for "things" poses a fatal spiritual danger. Anyone who is desperate for the good life is much more willing to sacrifice principle for profit - to sell their souls - which is being made fashionable in a twisted kind of way (Illuminati, anyone?). But this is not the example taught to us by Jesus Christ, the prophet Elijah and John the Baptist, amongst many other who became wanderers, fugitives and martyrs courageous for the sake of the kingdom of GOD.

These considerations are not merely academic/historical. The hour is late. As these last days darken, each individual within this pampered generation of ours will be forced to choose between our beloved comforts and the express commandments of GOD. The good life (easy credit, fiat money, conspicuous consumption) will be leveraged on the mark of the beast. GOD's people will leave all that behind in faith and obedience, counting even their very lives a small price to pay. That's Bible prophecy.

Revelation 13:15-17
¹⁵ And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
¹⁶ And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
¹⁷ And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Seal of GOD vs. Mark of the Beast: a study

(Copy-pasted in its entirety from www.thethirdangelsmessage.com - a wonderful site all should visit)

Revelation 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

The bible talks about the mark of the beast as the “mark of his name”. Some have concluded that the name of the beast is “The Papacy” or “The Pope” or “Vicarious filei die” and a few other names. The truth about the name of the beast is much deeper than this. And there is something far more.

The Name or Mark of the Beast

Since it is called “the mark of his name”(Rev 14:11) we can only assume that this name of the beast is written in the forehead. Since it is written:

Revelation 13:16-18 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: (17) And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (18) Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

These verses describe the fact that the “name of the beast” is received in the “forehead” or in the “hand”. They also allow us to understand that the “name of the beast” is also the “mark of the beast” or the “number of his name” meaning that the name actually is symbolized by a number which is 666.

The Name of the Father The Seal of God

In the following verse we read about 144,000 who receive a name in their forehead:

Rev 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.

And the rest of this chapter describes their work and the final controversy which comes down to two groups. One that receives the mark of the beast, or the name of the beast, and another that receives the name of God, or what could be described as God’s mark in their foreheads. (Rev 7:1, Eze 9:4)

Call Upon the Name of the LORD(Jehovah, YHWH)

Many today have read their bibles significantly, and they have seen many verses talking about calling upon the name of the LORD and assumed that this meant that they must say His name in the ancient Hebrew language. For instance, we are told that Abraham “called upon the name of the LORD(Jehovah, YHWH)”(Genesis 12:8). And many have said “Look Abraham used the Hebrew sacred name”. But this is not what it means to “call upon the name of the LORD”. It is written about Abraham:

Exodus 6:3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH(YHWH) was I not known to them.

So let’s be straight here.

1. Abraham called upon the name of JEHOVAH(YHWH)

2. Abraham did not know God by His name JEHOVAH(YHWH)

It almost would seem like a contradiction if we weren’t reading carefully. So, if Abraham didn’t know God by the Hebrew Tetragrammaton(Sacred Name as many call it) YHWH or Jehovah, but yet “called upon the name of JEHOVAH”(Gen 12:8) or YHWH(Tetragrammaton) then what does it actually mean to “call upon the name of the LORD”?

Is it possible that many of those who have studied the pronunciation for years, never to come to the right conclusion have totally misunderstood what the bible was saying about “the name of the LORD”?

SHOW ME YOUR NAME?

This should be your cry. What is your name Father? Teach me your name? We have a document of someone who wanted to know the name of Jehovah? Yet he already knew how to pronounce the name. His name is Moses. Let’s look at the documentation.

In Exodus 6 we read again:

Exodus 6:2-3 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD(YHWH): (3) And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

I am YHWH. In Exodus 6. Moses clearly was told the name of YHWH. He knew the name. God told him directly. BUT, there is more to this, because after all of this in a later chapter Moses wants God to proclaim to him His name. To show him His glory, And here is the account:

Exo 33:18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

Moses ask’s God to show Moses His glory. The glory of God is also known as His name as we see if we read the next verse carefully. Notice the answer Jehovah gives:

Exodus 33:19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

God answers saying “I will proclaim the name of YHWH”. The name of Jehovah/YHWH is also known as His glory. This is what Father is saying He will show to Moses. The pronunciation of the name is given right there, but it’s something more.

Also, notice the characteristics God mentions he will show. “Mercy”, “grace”, “goodness”. This is what God’s name is. This is His glory.

Moses Behold’s God’s Glory, Name, and Character the Next Day

Exo 34:2 And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.

Moses is instructed to come to God to receive the 10 commandments on the mountain. And their God is going to show Moses his Glory. But here is what is said

Exodus 34:4-7 And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone. (5) And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. (6) And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, (7) Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

Here the LORD who told Moses his name the day before, is “proclaiming the name of the LORD” to Moses, showing Moses his glory. He presents him with the ten commandments in stone, then talks about His character, listing the attributes “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth…forgiving…”

This is what it is to proclaim the name of the LORD. Proclaiming the name of the LORD does not mean pronouncing it properly in the Hebrew tongue, it means reflecting the character of God. Let’s look more at what it is to “declare His name” according to God’s word to see that this truth becomes clearer as we study it.

Jesus declared His NAME or His Character

In John 17, Jesus talks about the Father’s name. And he again likens it to His glory, and declares that His glory, or His goodness, or His character has been shown to the world.

John 17:4-6 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. (5) And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. (6) I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

Jesus manifested God’s name. In all the 4 gospels Jesus never once used the sacred name. There is no record of this, but yet he manifested his name. The context of what this means is clear. It’s about “the work” that he was given by the Father to do.

Notice Jesus talking about Father’s love.

John 17:25-26 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. (26) And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

This is what is meant by declaring the name. The name can be declared without uttering a word from your own mouth, just by doing the good works of Father with your hands. And by doing them with that mind of Christ, known as the Spirit of God. (1 Corinthians 2)

The Mind and Spirit – Name in the Forehead

Clearly, the issue of receiving the mark of the beast, all comes down to whether you will receive his character. Not the name of the Pope, or the literal Hebrew letters of the Father’s name written in your forehead, but rather, the Spirit you will receive, the mind you will accept.

Deuteronomy 6:5-8 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (6) And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: (7) And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (8) And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.(forehead, mind)

This love of God with all our heart, and keeping his commandments will reflect the glory of God. It will proclaim and declare the name of God. And this law that we are to teach our children diligently is to be written not on tables of stone, but in our hearts and minds. What good is it on a stone, if it isn’t in our heart and mind. (2 Corinthians 3-4)

Here we have God’s mark. His seal of his character. About Abraham, we read that he “proclaimed the name of the LORD” but yet didn’t know God “by his name JEHOVAH”. The name was in his forehead. He accepted the seal of God’s character.

Rom 4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:

It’s a seal of faith. And he kept God’s commandments.

Genesis 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Abraham declared the name of the LORD. Abraham gave glory to God. In the three angels message the class of people that will not take the mark of the beast, have all the characteristics of Abraham.

Revelation 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him;

How do they give glory, and what is different between them and those who take the mark of the beast?

Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

These are Abraham’s seed, and they will receive the seal of Righteousness by faith. The character or name of their Father written in their forehead. They proclaim the name of the LORD by doing his commandments by faith. The faith of Jesus.

Conclusion:

Now there is much more to say on this topic. However, as a foundation to understanding this important topic, I want to conclude with a few points. The name of Father is his character and is much deeper than the using the sacred name(YHWH). Using the sacred name is a non-issue to God. And it does not mean you will receive an extra blessing, or nothing of that nature. If you trust God’s word as it reads, this is faith, and this is what God desires. Simple trust.

The name of the beast is the character of the beast, and the number of his name is 666. A number that is incomplete, a number that represents the character of the beast as we have clearly learned, but it is also “the number of man”. People, who receive the name of the beast and number of his name, will receive the character of the beast and the number of his character.

777 is a representation of the character of God. It is not something that has to do with the Latin name of God, or the beast, calculated in Roman numerals.

Revelation 13:17-18 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (18) Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

The words number of “a man” should read “number of man”. It is the number of man. And his number is 666.

At creation man was designed to work 6 days. But as for the 7th they were to rest. This rest was symbolic of entering God’s rest by faith. Man cannot achieve what God can do in them by works, thus they must rest at one point and allow God to work in them. Man cannot work on the 7th day, and symbolically, man cannot be 777 by works but without entering God’s rest man is 666.

Rest is something that is done by faith, not of works lest any should boast. Those who do not enter God’s rest, do not enter “because of unbelief (Eph 2:8, Heb 3:18, 4:6,10). And it is the same for those who take the mark of the beast. They fall short of 7, only getting to 6 without rest in God, not realizing that they must rest at 7 and allow the Father to complete them in the same sense that he completes the week.

So they who take the mark of the beast “have no rest”. They don’t accept the Sabbath more fully:

Hebrews 4:4-6 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. (5) And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. (6) Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:

They don’t understand, they have no faith and abide in unbelief. And like those who take the mark of the beast, which will include many, many who keep the Seventh-day, just as it did in the time of the Hebrews who did not enter God’s rest, we are told:

Revelation 14:11-12) … and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. (12) Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

God help us to receive His name by faith, to realize what it is, and how it is received, and to recognize the deeper truth on this issue. That it far surpasses the latin name “Vicarious filei die” translated to Roman numerals. This isn’t what those who take the mark are going to receive in their forehead.

Also to proclaim your name to the world, to give glory, to allow your law to be written in our hearts and minds so that our hands are clean and they show your works.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

Isa 56:2 Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.

The hand shows our works. And when our works are unrighteous, the hand may reveal a mark. The mark of the beast or the name of the beast. But if our works are righteous, the name of the Father will be seen in our foreheads, which is His character seen in our life, and if they do have that character and name when Jesus comes, then their destination will also be marked in the forehead“New Jerusalem”.

Revelation 3:11-13 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. (12) Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. (13) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Resist Attraction

I believe in organically cultivated relationships. Get to know someone under mundane circumstances, befriend them gradually, understand the SWOT slowly and maybe blossom into love muuuch later. Long stretches of this road may look like the much-maligned "Friendzone" but nothing good comes fast and easy. Patience wins the marathon.

The whole "love at first sight" rainbow-themed rose-tinted fireworks arrangement strikes me as genetically modified love. Artificially inseminated with primal desire, incubated in pretentious dates, needing life support when the excitement fades, shaky at best, likely dangerous. (I've been both victim and perpetrator, so I ought to know by now.)

This is not to say that I have saintly transcended instantaneous lust in the age of makeup. That struggle continues. A man's eyes are prone to be ensnared by elaborate cons as long as Photoshop tools avail in our sisters' dressing tables and wardrobes. Actual authentic 100% lovely-looking lasses also roam the earth turning beholders' necks. I have already ranted so much against the consequences of fashion that I loathe repeating myself here now.

Alcohol also predisposes men towards carnal gratification. In Proverbs 23:33, The Bible says after you have become drunk,"thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things." Ever seen how a drunk gazes at the strange women who avail themselves? The Bible knows all about that. Goes on to say "a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit" (v27). At first I equated  strange woman with whore, prostitute, harlot;. Unfortunately, today, many glorified and overrated strange women operate under the guise of a wide variety of socially accepted (nay, celebrated) roles.

Back to topic. Granted, visual attraction is a major element in the establishment of any relationship. can't deny the fact that beauty is that which arrests the attention in the first place. I'd just like, one day, to be able to approach a lady with something along the lines of "I admire your character and comportment and I like your wit and humor. Your looks are an added bonus."

Status Report

The rain is trying to be funny. I was NOT going to post this one, I was rushing off to go and play football instead. But just when I got to the door, the heavens unleashed a torrent that descended with with lightning and thunder. In Kisumu when it rains it pours. Now I hope the lights won't go out mid-typing as well because that will just be hilarious.

Dear reader, please try to ignore the fact that this post is an afterthought, a less-favored plan B. Speaking of plan B, I've been thinking hard about getting one. I'm at that age where confusion and existential doubt reign supremely. Career, relationships, hobbies, interests etc  are all aspects of a man's identity. I think I bury myself in reading, drawing, writing, blogging, music and football because when I allow my mind to wander, I become my own worst critic.

Right now my major interests are the Bible, World History and the relationship between them especially today. My findings? I'll tell you this: the truth is stranger than fiction, much more gripping than any novel. Besides, if all else leaves me behind and I go out of touch with fashion, gadgetry, career, entertainment etc, I want to stick with the Word of GOD.

That said, I plan to post entire webpages here, wholesale plagiarism, because the spiritual truths contained in them are critically important for this age. I recommend the site Bible Explained to all and sundry, especially for the more symbolic and prophetic aspects of scripture. Any time a verse defeats my comprehension, I dash there, and I have never had reason to gripe. You won't regret it.

Oh, look, the rain's over already. Perhaps the soccer pitch isn't too wet. Goodbye.

The Footballer’s Guide to Love

Between soccer and love, parallels exist, albeit crude ones. (I must declare my fanatical soccer-playing at the outset so you know this is not an “objective” blog post.) Besides, my own observations and experience with Victoria FC provides all the evidence necessary to support such a claim.

Humor me. I daresay that love is at the center of the football game; otherwise it all makes no sense at all. Twenty-two men kicking one inflated leather ball around? Utter madness. Football’s greats have been people who loved the game enough to spend years, decades, in training. But their love for the game overcompensates for the lacking rationale. (Of course, a fat paycheck jumpstarts motivation.)

I will attempt to frame technical aspects of the game within the corresponding love scenario. Granted, I have been single for quite a while now. A reader may feel convicted to point out that I therefore do not qualify to talk of love, as though potential employers and their demands for “experience” have not already driven me up the wall. I encourage such to sit down and argue with me later in the comments section. (“You wanna step outside and talk about this one on one, like men?”)

Kidding. Here goes. *Whistle blows*

Possession: the team collectively strives to keep the ball. It is a basic winning strategy – one can not score goals without the ball. Similarly the lover must strive to “keep” the beloved at all times while protecting him/her from the concerted attempts of worthy rivals to dispossess him/her by all means, including two-footed tackles.

Passing: by spreading the ball around, possession is preserved. Naturally, every individual player dreams of stunning the crowds with a spectacular solo effort. Practically, however, a reasonable player usually sees a better positioned teammate and relinquishes the ball to him despite his own strong cravings for stardom. There’s more to any pass than cold strategy; there is also an implicit trust that the receiving player is fully capable of making a positive contribution. Besides, if you give a pass, it will come back to you sometime, right? If you love something, set it free, yes? Therefore, if you want to receive more, give more. This is love.

Finding space: Players thrive when they break free of their markers in preparation for incoming passes. You will not see a player fighting his opponent physically, overpowering him and afterwards taking the ball. That’s a direct red card. Rather, intelligent space calculations and movements are made to minimize contact with opponents and maximize possession. Each player runs into his own area of unobstructed turf as he best judges fit; consequently, teammates end up spread out. Therefore, if you are in love, just get your own space and permit your beloved as much space as they need, alright? None of that neurotic clingy-possessive business, okay? Then things will work.

Dribbling and ball control: requires skill and passion. The player understands and cooperates with the ball in order to maneuver it as he will. That is my definition of “the zone”: where ball and player are on a superior level of alertness together. Similarly with love: ideally, there is to be “one mind” between two – shared goals, basic understanding, synergy. This makes obstacles fun to overcome; passes between opponents find their targets accurately, and goals become rewarding.

Yes, I DO think too much. My unlikely parallels between soccer and relationships end there.

A. W. Tozer: "The Incredible Christian"

“The Christian believes that in Christ he has died, yet he is more alive than before and he fully expects to live forever. He walks on earth while seated in heaven and though born on earth he finds that after his conversion he is not at home here. Like the nighthawk, which in the air is the essence of grace and beauty but on the ground is awkward and ugly, so the Christian appears at his best in the heavenly places but does not fit well into the ways of the very society into which he was born.

“The Christian soon learns that if he would be victorious as a son of heaven among men on earth he must not follow the common pattern of mankind, but rather the contrary. That he may be safe he puts himself in jeopardy; he loses his life to save it and is in danger of losing it if he attempts to preserve it. He goes down to get up. If he refuses to go down he is already down, but when he starts down he is on his way up.

“He is strongest when he is weakest and weakest when he is strong. Though poor he has the power to make others rich, but when he becomes rich his ability to enrich others vanishes. He has most after he has given most away and has least when he possesses most.

“He may be and often is highest when he feels lowest and most sinless when he is most conscious of sin. He is wisest when he knows that he knows not and knows least when he has acquired the greatest amount of knowledge. He sometimes does most by doing nothing and goes furthest when standing still. In heaviness he manages to rejoice and keeps his heart glad even in sorrow.

“The paradoxical character of the Christian is revealed constantly. For instance, he believes that he is saved now, nevertheless he expects to be saved later and looks forward joyfully to future salvation. He fears God but is not afraid of Him. In God’s presence he feels overwhelmed and undone, yet there is nowhere he would rather be than in that presence. He knows that he has been cleansed from his sin, yet he is painfully conscious that in his flesh dwells no good thing.

“He loves supremely One whom he has never seen, and though himself poor and lowly he talks familiarly with One who is King of all kings and Lord of all lords, and is aware of no incongruity in so doing. He feels that he is in his own right altogether less than nothing, yet he believes without question that he is the apple of God’s eye and that for him the Eternal Son became flesh and died on the cross of shame.

“The Christian is a citizen of heaven and to that sacred citizenship he acknowledges first allegiance; yet he may love his earthly country with that intensity of devotion that caused John Knox to pray: ‘O God, give me Scotland or I die.’

“He cheerfully expects before long to enter that bright world above, but he is in no hurry to leave this world and is quite willing to await the summons of his Heavenly Father. And he is unable to understand why the critical unbeliever should condemn him for this; it all seems so natural and right in the circumstances that he sees nothing inconsistent about it.

“The cross-carrying Christian, furthermore, is both a confirmed pessimist and an optimist the like of which is to be found nowhere else on earth.

“When he looks at the cross he is a pessimist, for he knows that the same judgment that fell on the Lord of glory condemns in that one act all nature and all the world of men. He rejects every human hope out of Christ because he knows that man’s noblest effort is only dust building on dust.
“Yet he is calmly, restfully optimistic. If the cross condemns the world the resurrection of Christ guarantees the ultimate triumph of good throughout the universe. Through Christ all will be well at last and the Christian waits the consummation.

"Incredible Christian!”

Fragile Feminine Beauty

Men can afford to walk around looking rough-edged without the least qualm of conscience. Compared to them, the ladies are a delicate lot. If the feminist movement is doing all it can to eradicate the idea of inequality, the fashion industry is undoing their small steps with giant backward leaps. This insight came to me suddenly, as I beheld a well-dressed lady. Her dress was as colorful and as beautiful as the petals of a flower. Her hair was well made, she carried herself with pride and dignity, as if conscious that she was decorating the place by her mere presence.

I concluded that it takes a lot of work to keep a lady looking presentable. Let us not enter into the touchy politics of adornments, enhancements, struts, props, and weaves. Those fit into a much larger picture than just outward appearances - a real-world, wordless parable which conveys "handle with care". Think about it. If women were to expose themselves to the elements as recklessly as men do, they would be worse for wear and it would show. Their beauty is paired with fragility. I'm not saying there are no women boxing or pulling handcarts, neither am I defending lazy diva behaviors. Moderation is the answer.

I have a small sister; our youngest sibling. In her energetic childhood days my brother and I forged her into a tomboy, taking her to soccer games, high-speed bicycle-riding daredevilry, hard-sprinting chasing games and all. We always ensured she was on our team; she dribbled confidently between boys and scored goals freely, she was our pride and joy. Several times she ventured to confront bullies twice her age, the lucky ones got away with harsh verbal reprimands, one endured the awkward misfortune of being attacked by a little girl. Such a vigorous childhood wasn't always easy on her, since all those neighborhood football games were played on tarmac roads, so that a fall meant the flesh of the elbows and knees earned a bloody mincing. She got quite fast, tough and strong as a result. I was certain that she was fittin' to become the next Marion Jones.

Now little sister is not so small anymore. She has slowed down and parted ways with the tomboy in her - by and large. Wants nothing to do with exercise. Though occasionally one will hear her telling enamored boys "Nitakupiga!" Otherwise, she is coming of age with beauty and refinement. Plus fragility.

The point? Youth fades away, but while it lasts, it is beautiful. Our days of vitality are a blessing which deserve to be made the best use of - not with that YOLO foolishness.

Cult-ure

“Entertainment is the devil's substitute for joy.” Ravenhill

Pastor Ken Smith (twitter @projectpeter) explains what this means.

"Especially in the western societies, we have drowned ourselves in entertainment. This quote was in "Why Revival Tarries" written in the late 1950's or Early 60's.... think of today. Cell phones with text and mini-computer systems, computer systems, video games, movies, television, baseball, basketball, football, Auto racing, Tennis, Music, Concerts, etc. etc. etc. Even today many churches put on quite the show. At the end of the day we mention how we just don't have time to pray. We don't have time to study God's Word. Our joy comes in our entertainment now... we have no real desire for the things of God beyond wanting the blessings of God without sacrifice."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Behind the facade of glamor and hype, pop culture breeds despair. It is ever in flux; its bewildering plethora of "pop idols" has a high rate of turnover, its goalposts shift constantly, whether in pursuit of the latest electronic contraption or status symbol. Such rootless nomadism of purpose serves only to dizzy the seeker.

The hedonistic philosophy behind 21st century culture is a yawning chasm filled with the mirage of substance. Whosoever seeks to establish themselves within it will fail - the foundation can not hold. The worldview is functionless: pretends to derive meaning from passing fads designed to distract. Appetite for vanity only grows as it is fed. Greed for recognition and status can not be satisfied.

This is the anatomy of perversion. Darwin theorized evolution and Neitsche concluded that God is dead, adding their voices to a long list of history's atheists, and denying divine purpose to the human equation. The same mindset permeates our politics and entertainment. Its logical conclusions are that all things are acceptable, and morality is a hindrance to progress. Very shortly, such "science falsely so called" was widely disseminated by agents of darkness. Today, pop culture grooves to the refrain "Do as thou wilt" - do what you want (because allegedly there is no moral obligation.) What have the results of such frame of mind been?

Because there is no restraint, the culture is at once addictive and oppressive.
People strive to stamp other people under their boot, eager to impose their superiority, simply to attain status. Even many who preach unity go to great lengths to set themselves apart from "the common man." Who wants to be hoi polloi? Don't answer that.

Humility is rejected while the objective is to steamroll rivals into the dust and utterly humiliate them. Consequently, lots of resentful people itch for the chance to get even, craving the means with which they will avenge the indignities imposed upon them by their lack of means. Those who concede an inch do it only to give way to the bigger dog, biding their time impatiently.

Life is mistaken to be the sum of who you know and what you own. These become weapons of conquest, treasures to ceaselessly pursue and hoard away. The fittest survive, the weak take their frustrations out on each other. Oppression prevails. The law of the jungle is transplanted into human society.

Despair buds and grows in the latent emptiness of outward abundance. Little wonder the tale of modern society is broken homes, loneliness and suicide.

In contrast, blessed is the people whose God is the LORD! All this foolishness does not ruin their lives, for they do not subscribe to such flawed "logic". JESUS is the way.

ROMANS 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

God knows what He’s about

When God wants to drill a man,
And thrill a man,
And skill a man,
When God wants to mold a man,
To play the noblest part;
When He yearns with all His heart
To create so great and bold a man
That all the world shall be amazed
Watch His methods, watch His ways!
How He ruthlessly perfects
Whom He royally elects!
How He hammers and hurts him,
And with mighty blows converts
Into trial shapes of clay which
Only God understands;
While his tortured heart is crying
And he lifts beseeching hands!
How he bends but never breaks
When his good He undertakes;
How He uses whom He chooses,
And with every purpose fuses him
By every act induces him
To try His splendor out –
God knows what He’s about.

V. Raymond Edman, 1982 President, Wheaton College The Disciplines of Life

Sticking to it

A brief chat with Pearl suddenly became a rare opportunity for me to really open up. 

It got me thinking. I never thought the day would come when I would have trouble finding people I could open up to, like, really just run my mouth. Rarely do I expose the soft underbelly of my hopes, doubts, fears and aspirations - except perhaps on this blog. That requires a specifically matured blend of like-mindedness, familiarity and trust. Call me introverted.

Pearl and I reminisced on days of old, way back when I was still “in the world”, when this blog had not yet become an unending series of sermons. Those were wild days for me, but luckily for us both, she was grounded. Kept me in check – at least while we were together. (Quite ironically, we seem to have exchanged shoes – Pearl is “in the world” now.)

Sometimes I catch myself wallowing in nostalgia, brooding longingly on bygone misadventures. This blog’s archive is a witness to what the past entailed. Not infrequently have I looked back at my past with desire. The world was (and remains) full of conveniently placed lures. For all its dangers, life on the edge means constantly surfing the crest of a high and fast wave of pure adrenalin. This thrill alone makes it hard to leave that life behind. I often wonder if my current excuse of a renounced lifestyle is inexcusably pale and lifeless in comparison. I have to struggle with myself to hold down perceived boredom; tears smart in my eyes as I ignore the alter ego’s plaintive and pitiful appeals for attention. Wouldn’t it just be easier to feed the beast, sate its ravenous appetite, once and for all? Or, at least, just this once? Sometimes it seems that is the way to go.

But I know that if I turned back, that would be the really foolish part. The journey lies ahead. Even though I may stumble and fall, it’s not over till it’s over. I must rise again and forge onwards. What is past is left behind. Besides:

James 4:17
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

Often I’m tempted to “break out of my shell”, stop being a “weirdo.” More than once I’ve come close to cutting out all this scripture-quoting – it’s not as if people appreciate it anyway – and come down to Planet Earth, return to posting a live-stream of adventures and conquests. (Am I repeating myself?) But it’s funny: I ALWAYS find I can’t live like that and ALSO be true to my conscience – these two are mutually exclusive. I can’t lie to myself and believe it too. If I feign ignorance for too long, it happens like it happened to King David:

PSALM 39:2-3
I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred. My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue.

(Paraphrase to fit my case: “…then blogged I with my blog.” hahaha)

The prophet Jeremiah confessed that, due to ridicule he received, he longed to stop his prophetic duties but found that he simply couldn’t.

JEREMIAH 20:9

Then I said, I will not make mention of [the LORD], nor speak any more His name, But His word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with foreboding, and I could not stay.

Chapter 20 begins with Jeremiah ridiculed, unjustly spending a night in the stocks, for delivering a prophecy from GOD that nobody at all liked. (He predicted in terrible detail the bloody Babylonian siege and conquest of Jerusalem.) In verses 14-18, a discouraged Jeremiah ends up cursing the day he was born. But despite such mistreatment, he stuck to prophecy anyway. My ‘problems’ are comparatively microscopic. I can stick to Bible-quoting.

The struggle with self continues. (Prayer works.)

Prospect?

Church.

I walked in at what I thought was a respectable hour, only to see that Anita had arrived before me and was seated in her routine position, next to a window on the far right. Most seats were still empty, including the one next to her. She was well-dressed in an exquisitely patterned green dress. With her, if anything is worth wearing, it shall not escape accessorizing with a matching color ensemble. Her Bible lay open on her laps, her gaze was fixed in a thoughtful, preoccupied gaze outside, she was frozen in thought, solemnly staring at nothing specific: a beautiful sight. I settled next to her.

A fit of whispering ensued:

“The prodigal returns.” 

“I’d gone to the village. Camp-meeting week.” 

“Ama camp-meeting month! I was saving your seat the whole time.” 

“Sorry.”

Sitting next to Anita in church is always worthwhile. We sing the hymns with gusto. And we don’t let one another drift off the program and sink into oceans of daydreams, because the other will elbow one’s ribcage. From the way she keeps me on my toes, I suspect she was a particularly unpopular high school prefect some time past, or is just a natural-born tyrant with a refined taste for discipline, or maybe she just plays like that. I DON’T KNOW.

I on the other hand am an unabashedly happy-go-lucky sort. However, Anita’s presence, character and influence make me reflect on my goings deeply, twice.

“You don’t know where Thessalonians is?” she says later on, midway through the sermon, as we turn to scripture at the preacher’s behest. 

“Page 1252.” I’ve just checked my table of contents.
“Fine; after which book?”
“Get off my case,” I deflect.
She assumes a severe look, while reciting all the New Testament books in precise order.
“Impressive.” I say, nodding sagely. “Now, pay attention.”

We get along well. But she makes me sense that my standards could be too low - I fear she’s too perfect for me.

This Fiery Flesh

The higher brain should dominate the lower brain. In other words, the higher faculties (reason, conviction) should restrain the lower faculties (appetites, passions). To further paraphrase, the base instincts (food, sexual cravings) ought always to be in subjection to good old good sense. This was taught to me in church one afternoon. I found that the teaching sat well in my brain. That was the theory bit. But life is not a written exam.

The practical application is difficult! Mostly, this is because the lower faculties (especially the lust component) have instant reaction times and concretely tangible reflexes – hard to ignore. To further complicate matters, we live in times when the lower faculties are nourished endlessly. This means that whosoever would have their higher faculties guide them MUST constantly be rejecting the prevailing immoral milieu. A difficult task, tiring the brain, and apparently unrewarding for the most part. All it would take to fail would be one inopportune moment of letting down the guard.

Or shall we blame our bodies? As a guy, I believe I speak representatively when I say sex occupies a disproportionate percentage of my gender’s brain CPU and memory usage, for all the effort and ingenuity we collectively expend on pursuing it. And the fashion industry isn’t helping either. So, every other minute, along comes another pretty young lady (un)dressed in the latest fashion whose designer was more concerned with revealing than concealing. What’s a man to do? A defeatist would say we are wired that way; so be it.

One misplaced thought is bad enough; how then can we survive the ongoing 24/7 assault on our minds? The cult of instant gratification observes most seductive rituals, addictive traps for souls. If we escape it in the media, our associates pick it up and bring it into our lives via their talk, fashion, entertainment, lifestyles. This strong liquor is everywhere, maddening, inflaming the nerves, rousing the lower brain on to new conquests.

I think the hardest fight everyone has to fight – on the individual level - is the fight of the higher brain against the lower brain. And we are all called to fight that fight. Avoidance is better than cure, so see no evil, hear no evil. Fortunately, just in case these heated combats somehow arise, we also have a fire extinguisher on hand. It’s called PRAYER. It works every time.

The Money Power

Money is the root of all evil, said an ancient proverb. Money makes the world go round, came the rejoinder. (Updated in our day: "Cash rules everything around me! dollar-dollar bill yo!") The implicit admission is that the whole world is in thrall to the money power.

Humanity finds itself strapped to a heavy burden which it must pull. A carrot is dangled before our eyes; we in our hunger exert our most strenuous efforts to reach for it. Simultaneously, a flail-wielding overlord sits atop our heavy burden. At the merest sign of exhaustion or disillusionment, the whip goes LASH! Pain! And we pull the cart, whether in the futility of striving for the carrot or of running from the whip: regardless.

image from hrfishbowl.com

Money is both the carrot and the whip. Unfortunately, over time, we are being programmed to see less of the carrot side of the reward-punishment deal. This is as inevitable a progression as is giving a guest a warm welcome on the first day and extending a farm implement on the third, only, much less cordial. The burden happens to be the slave-drivers and their greed: the tax and profits extracted from our sweat.

Some would focus on the carrot, the illusory promise of prosperity, quite easily attained through unbridled pursuit of wealth, unscrupulous dealings and daylight robberies. Money worship. They forget that those who print money for the nations, having themselves secured too much already, do not worship it; it is merely their tool towards a greater objective than mere accumulation. Money is the reward and the punishment by which all of society is kept laboring at the New World Order, our accursed 21st-century Tower of Babel construction project.

What is money anyway? If Zimbabwe’s millions-of-percents monetary inflation rate teaches us anything, it is that the value of currency is not inherent in the multiplicity of zeroes printed thereon. 

from www.thenewblackmagazine.com

Money's value is what certain august ones, elites, decide it is worth. This consensus is money’s only pillar of stability, which, once overruled, turns money into firewood and sends society to the dogs. Real wealth, on the other hand, is that which recent history has been withdrawing from the common man's clutches in exchange for banknotes.

Money is a major arm of the New World Order. Biblical Prophecy indicates that it will play a decisive role for worse towards the end of time, which we are fast approaching. Daniel predicts, among the characteristics of the world’s last supreme dictator (soon to be revealed), his great wealth.

{DANIEL 11:42-43} He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians [shall be] at his steps.

In Revelation, John reveals that the beast, the last world empire, will have monopolistic control over ANY AND ALL transactions involving sales and purchases. This connects with "the mark of the beast".

{REVELATION 13:16-17}And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Connectivity

Electricity, cable TV and wireless chemtrails
tarmac cables and phone cables and undersea fiber;
The machine's wiry tentacles bestride the planet
until all kinds of cables crisscross the Earth's crust

The grid exponentially self-replicates:
its high-strung live wires charged with voltage
its coated cables encasing the planet in a net
as its ideologues chant "Power to the People!"

Satellites in the sky oversee the process
of information transfer at highest download speeds
devices exchange documents codes and data,
entertainment for the lowest common denominator

The machine has no cybernetic soul
its grinding wheels turn incessantly
Its faceless façade fixedly indifferent 

to all the lives its cables connect

Blog On

The heat has turned on Kenya’s bloggers. I can still see the establishment’s dogs sneering as the word rolls off their lips: “bloggers.” Like a dirty word. As if the targets of the supposed insult are meant to bow their head in shame and repentance. Further, so as to demonstrate commitment to a rehabilitated lifestyle, to delete all their social media accounts forthwith.

Granted, there’s some bad eggs exhibiting road rage on the information superhighway. That’s the way of the world; it’s got all types in it. A few obscene louts cannot justify the mayor’s gagging the whole town. But when the mayor DOES want to gag the whole tow, he points at the obscene louts and exaggerates the dangers thereby posed.

(e.g PATRIOT Act.)

Clearly, certain of the long established mainstream journalists are a very territorial breed of writer. Competition (real and imagined) from the blogosphere does not sit well with these. They will smear the collective reputation of bloggers with innuendoes designed to undermine their credibility, using insinuations only barely within the outer margins of plausible deniability. They will cast aspersions on the qualifications, reputations and methods of bloggers in order to mentally situate them in the same ideological dark cave with anarchists, misfits, pranksters and terrorists. They will read the riot act and conjure up the vague mirage of legal prosecution to jinx the blogger’s courage with a pinch of fear.

To quote Richie Spice (in Got to make it):

“They will try to get you out\ 

Full your mind with doubt\ 

full your heart with fear\ 

So you no reach nowhere.”

I call upon all bloggers: You got something to say? Blog on; by all means, blog on.

Bird Tales

I've always liked birds. In childhood, I risked permanently deforming my neck from endless hours just looking at all kinds of birds flying above. In fact, this whole post is about birds.

If anyone remembers Nairobi in the nineties, they know that there would be swarms of tiny birds flitting about amidst the highrises. I don't know if they were swallows or sparrows or whatnot. they flapped their wings from building to building singing their heartfelt birdsongs all day. Maybe they moved out when all the traffic and noise finally drowned out their matchless contribution to the city ambience (besides bird droppings). Or maybe kanjo did something. I miss the little pests.

There were a lot more hawks then in the city's environs than there are today; and they had acquired a taste for refined urban foods. Veteran revellers patronizing Uhuru Park knew: in order to to eat anything in the open, you needed to sit under a tree, or a hawk would swoop and grab it, bread and beef alike.

I loved watching hawks soaring, wing and tail feathers stretched to a wide span (Were they even hawks? They were brown with yellow beaks, is what I remember). They seemed to lie atop a comfortable breeze and relax, changing directions with what looked like a twist of twitch of the shoulders, and only occasionally flapping their wings. I'd be hypnotized by the apparent casualness of it all, unaware that the bird was hunting, not cruising about and showing off. Suddenly, the bird of prey would swoop to earth, talons stretched forth, grab some hapless student's hotdog and climb back to the remote heights - all in a flash. I remained in awe of hawks for a long time. One day some boys with their catapult shot down a hawk, and killed it, which saddened me greatly.

In contrast to the ruthless and elegant precision of hawks, there were crows. Clumsy, noisy, ugly, quarrelsome. They loved hanging out on garbage piles. "Black suits with white waistcoats" is how I pictured their color scheme. I didn't like them much, they struck me as contentious lot prone to peck out your eye. Even the least superstitious person can not but perceive an ill omen from a crow's portentous comportment. Still, they could be hilarious. The occasional crow would battle against a strong breeze by "flying on the spot": It flaps its wings energetically but doesn't move an inch forward nor backward, just struggling right there in mid air with strong exertions. Anyone who's seen it would laugh.

But I find in chickens the practical reason why "birdbrain" is a particularly demoralizing insult, and why "chickenhearted" is not a term of endearment. Chickens are just... special.

Nowadays all I see in the city are marabou storks and other scavenger-leaning types.

End Times Literature

The prophetic books of Daniel and Revelation have suffered everything between misinterpretation and absolute derision. Many Christian denominations entirely neglect these sections of scripture. Certain misguided souls like to impute folly upon the words of GOD because their own ignorance limits them; they “find” in these apocalyptic books cause to dismiss the entire Bible as the writings of unreasonable men with overactive imaginations. (I have already heard more than enough atheist arguments in my life so far.)

The good news is, this incomprehension was factored into prophecy’s design as an intended outcome. The prophecies were sealed, not physically, but through coded language.

DANIEL 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

The verse above indicates that the meanings of the prophecies contained in the latter books of Daniel were kept hidden (“sealed”) until the time of the end. Then, knowledge will be increased at the appointed time so that the prophecies will be understood. Later in the same chapter we read:

12:9 And he [the angelic messenger] said, “Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.”

Now we catch insight into the complexity of ingenuity involved in the sealing of the prophecies. Not only are they to impact the end-time generation only, they are further to be exclusively understood by “the wise” among that generation – rather than being ignored and dismissed as merely profound parables. Verse 10 (above) presents is an ironical situation: all have equal access to the same prophetic text, but only some through understanding can apply its provisions to their lives. This distinction, by itself, marks the “wise” apart from the “wicked.” Let that speak to you.

I put it to you, dear reader, that we are entering the last days. Very soon, the real time fulfillment of Daniel chapters 7 to 12 (some of which has come to pass) will become of vital importance to those who watch and pray.

John the Revelator also received instructions from the angel who talked to him:

REVELATION 22:10 And [the angelic messenger] said to me, “SEAL NOT the sayings of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.
22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”

To paraphrase: the prophecies in Revelation were “not sealed,” because “the time (of their fulfillment) is at hand”. Note the similarity with Daniel in what the distinction is between one’s capacity to understand or misunderstand the prophecy’s meaning, and the implication thereof. This “time” which is “at hand” refers most obviously to the end times, the era we are entering, if we are not manifestly in it already.

With this declaration, the entire book of Revelation, with all its symbolism, is spotlighted as vital life-and-death literature for the end-time church of Christ. Read it, friends, in and out, and Daniel also. Prophecies are to be fulfilled at the appointed time. To understand them, just do this one thing: DON’T be wicked :)

(Hint: The Bible interprets itself.)

The Real Clash of Civilizations

Here come the crusades, all over again!

George Bush used the term "Clash of Civilizations" in the course of describing his Iraq war, which was only Chapter One of War on Terror (9/11 being the preface and Desert Storm the front cover). Soon after we heard of Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib.  Over time we became content to believe that the clash of civilizations entailed stopping religious extremists operating from caves; it also had to do with exporting democracy and freedom around the globe, by unseating the oppressive tyrants of Rogue States. Who can argue with that?

Libya's 9/11 (2012), the murder of the American ambassador, ought to give us pause for thought. It is closely connected with and results from the release of "Innocence of Muslims" an anti-Islamic movie in the US. Elsewhere on the internet it is said to also be revenge for the similarly undignified killing of Gaddafi. Almost simultaneously, in Egypt, strikes have erupted as a result of the same anti-Islamic movie, and the US embassy is besieged; consequently the age-old diplomatic warmth traditionally shared between Egypt and US is threatened.

And ain't that funny? The Arab Spring eradicated Libya's Gaddafi and unseated Egypt's Mubarak; US celebrated, but now all they see is "Islamist fighting groups", jihadists and terrorists running haywire. (It was designed that way.)

Now the Clash of Civilizations exposes its real religious colors. It shouldn't have taken this long. Just a consideration of the term should have pointed to an intent more nefarious than smoking Osama bin Laden and his likes out of mountain caves.

Cue to extremist Christian preachers organizing Koran-burning events. In public. The anti-Islamic movie that is the cause of so much uproar is just some similar classic agent provocateur tactics at play. Now we can expect counterattacks in sacrilege and blood. Ignorant people all around the world will take up arms to kill innocents in the name of GOD. It's a damn shame to see Christians lured into the politics of Zionism; therein shall they fall, entangled with delusion into a fight not their own.

Here in Kenya, a recent eruption of violence at the Coast threatened to take on this sinister Muslim vs. Christian flavor, what with its al-Shabaab connections. Fortunately, we have a mature lot of politicians and religious leaders, who closed ranks across their various divides to stand in unity and denounce the goings on unequivocally. Also, to their credit, many Coast residents simply wouldn't allow the thing to sink into the miry depths.

But someone ask Nigeria how things got to be so tough with Boko Haram. Who can resist a raging craving for revenge? Who is above being manipulated to defend the honor of their GOD? These are tactics to "spread the blood," to ensure that all have blood on their hands, so that none can honestly take the higher moral ground. Still the truth remains: sow violence, reap violence - no matter what religion.

The Crusades are upon us, primed to fester into a gangrenous World War. Behind the scenes is a movement for religious unity, to be achieved by Hegelian Dialectic. That's just how the bones will break, ultimately.

Will you fall for the fool's gold of false religion for the sake of peace? FYI, there is no peace with antichrist.

Informer

One hot and stuffy afternoon, during time I should have been playing soccer, I consumed acres of literature instead. Skipping practice has always been a last resort, worst case scenario. That week, however, soccer fatigue had overwhelmed me. I stalled on a couch with literature.

Then I looked outside. Suddenly, or so it seemed, it had become late evening. I ventured off the couch towards the great outdoors; a walk would do me some good, an uneventful and utterly pointless stroll around the hood, for its own sake.

I hadn’t gone very far before things turned interesting. I met The Ex, apparently on her way home from work. As rock music fans like to say, I felt nothing. At first.

“You don’t look well,” she said, her eyes scanning mine.

“Football fever.” I wasn’t going to explain that. She knew me well enough to understand. “So we’re talking now?”

“I heard about you and Jennifer,” she accused, in her inimitable passive-aggressive manner.

That gave me a start, a rude shock. My heart long-jumped over a few beats, and then sprinted through the rest. “You weren’t supposed to hear,” was the best I could come up with.

“So it’s true! I thought she was making it up!” This exclamation of surprise accompanied the first manifestation of emotion on her face and tone.

“She’s the one who told you?!” I was as incredulous and as stunned she was.

She started to walk away, distractedly. From her studied expression, I could actually see in my mind’s eye millions of her mental cogs turning over the new information using a magnifying glass and a fine toothcomb. I discerned that this would be an optimal time to cushion the impact.

“Look, I’m sorry; I was angry and jealous. And I wanted revenge.”

As she turned to face me, there was more perplexity than anger in her face and voice as she replied. “You shouldn’t care, why should you care?” The finality with which she said that (while walking away I might add) essentially plugged my maw and made me think about it. Next I looked up, she was scratching her head as she turned a corner and vanished from sight.

I made a decision: the informer needed be answerable. Jennifer’s place was far, but I ran the distance. Incidentally, this helped to clear some of the lactic acid in my sore limbs. But we all know that was the least of my intentions for running. I hadn’t carried bus fare.

Luckily, I met her opening her door, just coming in from work. She considered me with a half-smile that I appraised to be merely diplomatic; on the basis of which analysis I replied her “Hi Antony” with “I can’t believe you told her.”

She looked like she was going to pretend to ask what I was raving about. And then she saw impatience hot on my face and looked like she thought better of it and made peace with the obvious. “Come in,” she offered.

“No.”

So she stood inside and I stood outside and we besieged the open door.

“It just came out, alright?”

“It was supposed to be a secret!”

“I know! I get it! But she’s my best friend, for goodness sake! I had to confess.”

My mouth opened, but I found I couldn’t argue with that, so I shut it.

“Okay,” I said, “Goodbye.”

And I jogged back home.

(The Ex was right: I shouldn’t care. I don’t even want to. But I can’t just seem to let this issue die a natural death before I hear the conclusion of it. As for feedback, I’m still waiting to see how things pan out.)