In My Community

United by a lot of diversity, my community includes the people I meet with daily. It includes those that I have known for a long time and still yet the one whom I just met a few minutes ago. To me, community members are the people who understand me and at least have one commonality aside from the many differences. We will often meet and share food while we talk over our issues. In my community we value the social life and must congregate often to catch up.

There is the situation where you are able to talk with somebody, discuss issues of similar concern. You may be bound by one thing, for example same church, same area of residence, same language or tribe, same clan and many other things. These scenarios make you members of one community and the obligation of members in these communities is to help one another. It is expected that the younger would respect the older and the older would provide much needed guidance to the younger generation. There is freedom of expression however the freedom is only within the acceptable rules, principals and taboos. Most times, dissenting views from younger people towards the older people are not very well received.

The media influences my community in the sense that most decisions made, stem from opinions gotten from the media. There is a big respect for the broadcast media since they are seen to be very credible and most members in my community would love to have the ‘media-say’ as gospel truth. However the biggest challenge my country faces in informing the citizens is the level of literacy. With more than 42 tribes, cultural differences and language barrier offer the biggest stumbling block. English and Swahili are the national languages but not many people are conversant with them. Infrastructural problems also make it impossible for some people to be reached.

Citizen journalism is very minimal as many members in my community believe in thought leaders and unitary statements. Therefore most people believe in meeting together, discussing issues and having a person to present the issues to the relevant authorities. Nevertheless most of the decisions and opinions given are normally informed by what is consumed mainly on broadcast media.

We All have a "ME Story"

“You can make it my son, you are destined for greatness.” Those were the words of my mother, the one person who has had the most impact on my life. From my inception, her dream was to see me advance in the knowledge of music and be able to play the piano. She ensured that a local music teacher would come to our little house every evening and offer the much required lessons. Despite not getting to the highest level of mastering the ‘ivory keys’, I must admit that she instilled a strong music culture in me. More than 20 years later, I can attest to having learnt discipline, determination, passion and generally hard work.

I would describe myself as an ambitious person who is extremely passionate about children’s music. This stems from an early childhood participation in my church’s children’s choir called Proactive Kids Choir. This inspired me to form a group; Praise Kids of Africa, where I train the children and write songs for them. Despite that, I am proud to have grown as a member in my children’s choir where I still serve as a teacher. Noble, is what I would call the passionate work I do, and the challenges I encounter are the pillars of persistence. Getting donors and sponsors to support some of our projects has been a hurdle, but the parents’ motivation and dedication to have their children participate in the programs has been extremely beneficial.

Being brought up in one of the major cities in Africa; Nairobi, has contributed largely to the media I have been exposed to. Being a host to International offices including one of the UN headquarters, Nairobi has been on the upward trajectory in technology advance. I consume a lot of website content and love getting updates through social media like Twitter. Through the internet, I have learned a great wealth of lessons and learned to respect our diversity. However, this exposure has created a divide between me and some of my family members who subscribe to traditional media. We seem to be reading from different scripts.

Even so, the greatest thing I have enjoyed is the knowledge of globalization. To know that we may be separated and many miles away from each other, but we can still connect, share and be one. The internet media has motivated me and I hope it reaches each and every person.

Good, Better, Best

Do you remember the skill that took you the most time before you could clearly master it? Do you remember the last time that you had to keep practising until you made it perfect? Think of that Mozart, Beethoven or Bach Piece that you had to go over in preparation for Christmas. Think of your public speaking class and your speeches. Think of the time you devoted to the work, think of the effort you put into it.

When I was in elementary school, we had to put on school uniform and part of that was black-laced shoes and a tie. One thing I kept doing was practising how to tie my shoe laces and how to make a good knot for my tie. This I did with a lot of practice till it become good, I became a pro and would help my friends do it better.

Day-to-day activities are part of a long journey that the human race is in. It is a journey that for a few will culminate with the second coming of Jesus Christ and the realization of salvation and eternal life with the Savior. To many it ends with achievement of worldly goals like fame, money-power, job success and the rest.

However, when you look at your journey in being the best, some main elements comes into play. These are persistence, patience and perseverance. The 3P’s are the vital ingredients we need to keep the fire burning.There are others like faith and looking up to God but this other components enhance and help us realize our faith too.

Persistence is standing firm, continuing with a course despite opposition that may arise. This is simply saying 'A luta Continua' when you hear "Give up!" Patience is waiting without complaining. This is bearing with situations with a lot of humility.Perseverance is simply the offspring of patience and persistence. The other relatives of the 'P' family are:passion, practice, permanent and perfect. Ofcourse when you passionately practise something, it perfectly becomes permanent.

Thomas Edison failed many times when trying to create the light bulb.He tried many experiments with platinum and other metal filaments. However he did not give up. Today many scientists talk of his brilliance in inventions and we enjoy the comfort of electric bulbs.Abraham Lincoln could have simply given up after numerous attempts and failing. Nevertheless he did not do so and he will always be remembered in history for being persistent, never giving up.

Therefore do not give up. Keep working, keep pushing. They say that PUSH is Pray Until Something Happens. I add Pray without ceasing. Then you will be on course to apply the rule of good, better best, do not let it rest till your good is better and your better is best.

Bringing God into The Picture

Today we take a small detour and do a reflection. As I was walking in Campus this week, I could feel the breeze penetrate through to my skin. I suddenly saw the light-pole shaking and I could now comprehend how strong the wind was. Just over a month ago, I had experienced part of the summer weather in Minnesota. My body would just get hot and I was afraid that I would one day find myself roasting if I was not careful.

This experience coupled with that of the heavy rains that we seasonally experience in Kenya and those of the hurricanes in America made me reflect on the big picture. While I saw the effects of the strong winds that made me feel cold, there was something missing in the picture. While I saw ‘a’ very hot sun that burnt my body, there was something missing in the picture.

What was missing was the most important thing we should always see in a picture. In any image we should not miss seeing this. In the same way we see a headline on the daily’s front page, we ought to see this. I needed to bring God into the picture. I needed to see Him.

I needed to see that the God who calmed a heavy storm in the sea and said peace be still is stronger than the wind. I needed to see that God is a consuming fire hotter than the sun he created and He therefore demands reverence in His presence. He is still the one that provided a cloud over the Israelites in the wilderness. He is the one that causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

What? How? Is it possible that God can be in every picture? Yes it is possible. We can bring God into any picture and decide where to place Him. We can bring Him into our film of life and decide which role He is going to play. We can bring Him into our team and decide which position He is going to play or what He will do.

Whether you decide to make Him outstanding in the picture, give Him the starring role in your film, let Him seat on the bench or decide He coaches the team; it is all up to you? Your perception of God’s importance to your life will ultimately determine that. I will not stop saying that many people have allowed Jesus into their vehicle of life but are still clinging on to the driver’s seat while the Master takes a back seat.

God fits anywhere we want to put Him in the picture. Remember the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. For the student; Christ is the best teacher. For the sick, he is the greatest Physician that I have heard of; I have never read of people who were healed and they came back claiming not to have been made completely well but I have read of many patients who have died due to wrong diagnosis and prescription.

As you look and admire the many pictures of life today, ask yourself; Have I brought God into the picture?

You Are The Best

Do you know that you are the best person in the word? Do you know that no one is better than you at all?

Here are reasons why you stand out among everybody else in the world. First and foremost you know what you want. From inception you have had a dream and tailored your thoughts towards a certain direction. You have fully comprehended that which is your purpose and fathomed the goal of your life. Indeed you have come to the realization of your Maker’s desire. You have a goal.

Second you have done all in your capacity to make the dream come true. You have gone to school. You have attended the lessons faithfully. You have taken all the major steps towards the realization of your vision. Congratulations! You have listened carefully to all the instructions given by your instructor and learnt from each mistake you made. You have acted

Last but not least, you have passed on the knowledge acquired to other people. You have been in the forefront to change the community. You have given, because you were given. You have made success become: “Using your talent to elevate the lives of other people." Indeed you have become a source of blessing the people around you. You have done everything to the glory of God and made your activities for Him. You have glorified God.

If you have done these things in whichever field you are involved, then you are ultimately the best. The reason being: No person has the same goal as the other, people do not act on a goal in the same way and not everyone glorifies God in that which they undertake.

I love the story of Dr. Ben Carson who overcame his troubled youth in inner-city Detroit to become a gifted neurosurgeon famous for his work separating of conjoined twins. Dr. Carson who has written the book Think Big, was a 'dummy' and was always at the bottom of his class but the mother encouraged her and he did his best. Within a year he was the best and there was no turning back. Think Big stands for Talent, Honesty, Insight, Nice-being nice to people, Knowledge, Books, In-depth learning and finally God. Do not think and become too big for God. He is the best of the best. 

Therefore when you do something today, think of these steps and you will realize that you are the best in the world. Just as each end every person has unique fingerprints, so do people have unique goals, actions and gratitude. What is yours?

Best Time is Now

I love the words of a chorus we sung in kindergarten. Part of the chorus had the following words: “... and the time to be happy is now and the place to be happy is here and the way to be happy is to make someone happy and to have a little heaven down here”.

These words help me answer the question; When do we give our best? The time for the best is now. The Best time is now. When we do our best we shall be happy and so we cannot wait any longer for happiness if we can get it right now.

As we sat in our high school dormitory 5 years ago, my roommate and I fantasized on the joy that would fill our hearts when we would finish high school and not be ‘tortured’ by the tough exams that would test knowledge learnt as far as four years back. What we did not know was that we had an opportunity to be happy then. We could have simply done our best and we would never be worried. What seemed to be our problem is that we wanted a time when things would be easier and then we would be ‘happy’. We thought that in college we would enjoy life and be happy by relaxing.

Fast-forward to this date, we always laugh that college life is even tougher with research papers and the idea of having to support our arguments in many academic discussions. We have decided that we will not be happy when we finish college and get good jobs. We now make every opportunity the best opportunity and chance to shine. Our slogan is: “If we do not do it now when shall we do it?”

We had interacted with a thief. Described as the one of the most harmless thieves, he has dwelt among our community. The young people have invited him to their colleges, homes, churches and there is no place that is new to him. For those that chose not to associate with him they seem to be doing better than the rest who have entertained him. I am talking about procrastination; the thief of time. If you are hosting the thief right now, its time to call it quits.

At the age of 12, the young boy Jesus had already started his mission to save the world. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Interestingly that step is at the very point where you are standing at that given time. This means therefore that now is the time to give your best. The wisest man who ever lived advises in 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”

Knowing that all you need is to give your best, and your best being the love of God, you now know when to give your best. The Best time is now.

Your Best is Love of God

I know we have talked of giving our best and leaving the rest to God but what does it mean to give your best. The strictly mathematical viewpoint shows that KNOWLEDGE gives you 96% good results, HARDWORK 98% but ATTITUDE 100% and that is positive attitude of course because NEGATIVE ATTITUDE will give you -98%. This is based on the formula that the alphabetical letters: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ are represented by the numbers in an ascending order from 1-26 for example A is 1, B is 2, C is 3, and so forth.

Interestingly, LOVE OF GOD will give you 101% which makes you clearly a winner and a conqueror. Are you amazed by this fact?

The Bible in Proverbs 9:10 says ‘The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.’ In Psalms 111:10 it records ‘The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endures forever.’

One may ask how does fear and love connect? How do they make me achieve the best. Fearing God is keeping His commandments precepts and doing all that He wishes and expects to do. The love comes in when we do these things not by blind reason but because of the Love we have for God.

The best example to have ever shown this is Daniel and the 3 other Hebrew boys. In Daniel 1:8 He purposed in his heart not to defile himself with royal food. In chapter 1:20 Whenever the king asked them about things that required wisdom and insight, he found that they knew ten times more than all the magicians and psychics in his whole kingdom.

Closer home, I find the story senior VP of production at Columbia Pictures; DeVon Franklin; as an example of people who Love God and have got 101% success in their lives. His remarkable journey of faith and purpose to serve God first led him to achieve success. His book ‘Produced by Faith’ talks of how he put God first before his contract. He says that being given his time and day to worship determines whether he takes a job or not. You can follow his stories on different links and be encouraged.

The bottom line remains that the best is fulfilled and accomplished by God’s blessings. God’s blessings are poured down on us when we put Him first last and best in all that we do. Daniel of the Bible and DeVon Franklin provide good examples.