CHRISTmas..

This is the season to be jolly...... Jingle bells jingle bells...... Silent night. I have to admit that I only sing and listen to these carols during the Christmas season and they usually sound great at this time of the year. So this will be my 23rd Christmas and I have seen the meaning of Christmas change for me over the years. When I was a kid it was that time of the year where we would accompany dad to go cut down a tree (we did not cause global warming) and then decorate it, get new clothes and go compare with what my mates got, have balloons hanging around the house and last but not least watch the movie "home alone". mmmmh the good old days. Then during my teenage age I thought it was lame getting new clothes for Christmas and hanging balloons in the house and Christmas lights so for me it meant it was that time of the year we would go out as a family and have access to an "all you can eat" buffet.
So what does it mean to me now?

It still means its a time I get to spend with family but what I missed to see was the reason why we had to celebrate Christmas. First I have a problem with the word X-mas because it removes Christ out of the picture (so when you are sending me Christmas messages change the X to Christ, I do not do algebra anymore). Picture this, Christ in all His majesty and splendor left His throne so that He would sleep in manger that night. Its like you been told to leave all the luxuries you have and  go live in a garbage dump so that you can give your home to someone else. How many of us would agree?  I know I wouldn't!

Isaiah7:14;Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Luke 1:35:The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God

 John 3:16:“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

This was the beginning of God revealing His grace to us, Christ came so that we would be able to start over, so that no matter how much we would mess up we would still be able to come back to God and tell Him "We are sorry and ask for forgiveness" It meant that we would share in His glory, but this did not mean that we were now given a go-ahead to sin. No! it still remained that the wages of sin is death, what this meant was: Once we would ask for forgiveness and repent it meant us changing what we pursue, meaning we would stop pursuing sin and pursue Christ. It does not mean we will not fall but the difference now will be our hearts pursue what is true, right, noble and pure. Your life as a Christian is not based on you reciting a sinners prayer but for you to grab hold of the life that Christ has for you.

 1 Peter 3:18: For Christ died for sins once and for all, a good man on behalf of sinners, in order to lead you to God. He was put to death physically, but made alive spiritually.

Romans 4:25:He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Romans 5:6:You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

 Romans 13:13:Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.


If we would only understand how great that sacrifice was for God to give His ONLY son to die on the cross for us, for Christ to step down and live as a human being so that He would understand us then we would celebrate Christmas with Christ at the center of it. We would not waste money, food and we would not take these celebrations as an opportunity for us to get drunk and have wild parties,go crazy and have one night stands. (Yes we do get carried away!)
But we would take this time to open up our houses to strangers, to share with the less fortunate, visit the sick, the people in jail, mend broken relationships,spread the gospel, spend time with family and to thank God for giving us His son to die on the cross for us because He took our place on that cross. Now you will never know how much it cost for you to pay for your sins because He simply came and slept in a manger on Christmas day.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

End of the year

 

The year is coming to an end we are all excited! We cannot wait for the parties and the gifts...it has been a good year for me and I want to count my blessings.
1.I re-dedicated my life to Christ.
2. I got to visit Mombasa for the first time.
3. I made new friends from California.
4. I am graduating in a few days(yaaaay!)
5. I got a job.
6. We moved houses with my family.
7. I started this blog and so far it has 3176 page reviews in 6 months.

 The list goes on and on.. I have had my fair share of bad days and had to make some tough decisions which meant tougher consequences. I chose to reflect at the end of this year and tell God I am grateful for all that He has done for me, even when I did not understand why I had to do some things and go through certain situations, I thank Him because He reminds me that He has it all in control and that is just part of His grand plan.

I do not know how the year is ending for you, maybe on a low, you thought you would have achieved certain things; maybe you thought you would be married, you thought you would be having a job by now, your loved one would still be around or your business would have picked up. Whatever it is, do not be discouraged because whatever situation you are in now is only a fraction of the bigger picture which is the great and mighty plans God has in store for you. Do not see it as the end instead see it as the beginning of the rest of your life.

As you make resolutions this time, pray about them and place them in God's hands and may the plans align with His word. So what are you thankful for? Even if the bad days have been more than the good days why don't you just take time and write down what you are thankful for and read them to God. Starting with the fact that you have been able to see this far into the year.

From me:

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY 2014!!!

CAT POOP LESSONS (DISSAPOINTMENT)

Ever since I started my small home garden there has been these gang of cats coming in and just "let it all out" in the soil, so a couple of times I would build a fortress by the window and wait to whack one....and to add on top I do not like cats so now I was justified. Every time I would whack one I was so proud of myself and think "now they know this is a no-go zone" but they would bust my bubble the following day when I would have to get a plastic bag and collect the "fortune" they left me. I might add I prayed and asked God to keep them away but they kept coming each time with a bigger "prize" to collect. We would even exchange ideas with my mum on ways of getting rid of them until finally I a got a revelation that we are getting free manure and we might as well enjoy it. Long story short, the garden has blossomed!
Sorry animal rights activists and cat lovers....:-(

Okay enough of the cat chronicles...I am sure we have all wanted something so much and at times we do not get it...it could be a job, a person, whatever it is. We have all been dissapointed, let down, left by people we loved, had our dreams shattered when we thought we had got a breakthrough and the feeling is horrible! You will give up or simply just let go. What if I tell you that those disspointments might be the best things that have ever happened to you? Unbelievable? Indulge me for a minute and hear me out...

The bible tells us that even before you were born God set you apart and He already had your life planned out from the beginning to the end meaning He already knew the doors He would open and the doors He would close to get you to your destiny. Not convincing? Okay...
He says He will never leave us nor forsake us,  meaning that even when it seems that all hope is gone or when you feel like failure  He is there, the presence of that pain is not evidence for God's absence, He is there..ALWAYS.
He says He has great and might plans for you that you know NOTHING about! Meaning your mind cannot even comprehend the things He has in store for you, even that job that may have seemed like the best thing in the world cannot compare with the one He has in store for you, even that person that rejected you or walked away that you might have thought is the best thing since OLX cannot compare to the person God has placed for you.
He loves us so much that He gave up His only son for us, ONLY son for us! His love is unconditional! Its the one thing in your life that cannot be taken away! Meaning you are the apple of His eye that He can give you anything in this world that you desire but if He does not, He is simply saying "I have something better for you"

Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

 Deuteronomy31:6:Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” 

Jeremiah 29:11:For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  

Jeremiah 33:3:‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

Romans 8:35-39:Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So just like that cat poop it does not look good on my garden but it has flourished it and I was busy trying to get rid of it. That situation that you are in that is so painful at the moment, that you just want the pain to go away is meant to build something in you and prepare you for what God has in store for you, it will make you flourish!
Remember that nothing surprises God, He has a plan for you. So, whatever you wanted so much but did not get, trust me when I say it was not part of your destiny it might have  hindered it. If you were to have it you would have gotten  it.
So, to challenge myself and you learn to trust in God through every season of your life, in times of lack and plenty learn to be content and trust Him. He knows what He is doing! 

When I became a woman

Before I became a woman I used to love the thrill of short-lived relationships where if it felt good,looked good and smelt good then it must be IT. Before I became a woman I used to throw tantrums when things did not go my way and made sure people knew I was mad. Before I became a woman I used to think that being a "don't care" meant I was an independent woman.Before I became a woman I only saw the world revolving around me. Before I became a woman I thought that a fast track career would make me happy.Before I became a woman I used to run to people for comfort when I got my heart broken. You see before I became a woman I thought that my hips, lips and finger tips were what separated me from girls.

BUT...

When I became a woman I realized that all the attention I got from boys was nothing compared to the attention I would get from that ONE man that God has set apart for me whose wisdom will remind me of Solomon, whose faith will remind me of Abraham, whose leadership  will remind me of Moses and most of all whose character will remind me of Christ!. and so I chose to wait..

Song 8:4 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.

When I became a woman I realized that I should be spirit-led and less emotionally-led, where I would refuse to be controlled by my emotions even when I feel justified because its "that time of the month". I should refuse to hold grudges, I should refuse to release my frustrations on someone just because am having a "bad day" and where I do not ask myself how I FEEL in order to do something right but do it because its right.

Galatians 5:16: But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
When I became a woman I realized that being independent meant me depending on Christ, me depending on friends and family when I am not able to do on my own. So I had to build my relationship with Christ, my family and friends and go from  a "don't care" attitude to a "do-care" attitude and care about others more than I do myself.

  Philippians2:4:Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

When I became a woman I realized that this life is not my own and am stable only when Christ is the center of my life that with Him as my foundation I am unshakable! I realized that placing myself before Him meant that I would draw my strength from myself and am only human so I would get weary and so now I draw my strength from the ONE who promises to renew my strength.

Isaiah 40:31: But those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak.
When I became a woman I realized that people will fail you simply because they are human and so I stopped running to people when I had my heart broken and instead I get down on my knees and talk to the ONE who is able to put back every piece of my heart and make it whole, the ONE who sees every tear and says "I will never leave you nor forsake you" meaning He would never walk away even when things got tough.
When I became a woman I realized that nothing in this world would satisfy and all along I was looking for things and people to fill the void in my heart which HE only can fill.
When I became a woman I realized a woman's beauty goes beyond the physical, its her gentle spirit, its her warm presence, its her giving heart, its her calm nature and her love for good that makes her GORGEOUS.

  Deuteronomy 31:8: It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.

 

 1 Peter 3:3-4: Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. 

 

Mathew 6:33:But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

I have to say that when I became a woman I changed my role models and stopped looking up to the women who drop it like its hot, who sleep around because they are playing the field and who make their choices based on articles in magazines. Instead I choose to aim at having the obedience of Mary, the faith of Rahab, the humility of Ruth, the boldness of Esther, the hard-working nature of the proverbs 31 woman and most importantly that my character would reflect that of Christ.

GUEST BLOG FOR MEN ONLY: Sexual Purity for believers By Ernest Wamboye

A friend of mine had told me about a blog called PEN STROKES and the way she described it I just had to look at it. So,I finally got the blogger (Ernest Wamboye) to write an article for my men readers since I had a guy ask me if my blog is for ladies only after I had posted an article for the ladies. So here is the post by this great man of God I still cannot believe he is just 24 and has been married for a year now to a beautiful woman of God. I believe he has been given  wisdom beyond his age....

When I faced severe sexual temptation and struggles in campus, it was hard to talk about it. There was the fear of being judged- and there was the fear of embarrassment. Guys, you feel me on this, right? Many guys, therefore, prefer to lock themselves up and hope that the problem will go away. However, it doesn’t. The first step to getting out of the rut is confession. We need to talk about it. I pray that you will be brave enough to admit your fears and weaknesses before other men. As believers, there is a lot that God states about our sexuality. He’s shouting from the rooftops. The question is: are we listening? Hopefully these points will help you put some things into practice as you look for mature godly men to walk out of addictions like pornography and masturbation. It eats on the inside and it must be amputated.

1. Usain Bolt should be your role model

Dude, run! When you feel your blood rushing in all the wrong places and the temptress is upon you, flee. I have been locked in a room before with a good-looking prostitute who wanted to have some fun. She had sneaked into our room and convinced my pal to go out and find her missing shoes. I was left in the room with her and the door was locked. She openly seduced me and I was losing my grip. I kept resisting until my pal came back. Had he come a minute later, I wouldn’t be sharing this story. However, I remembered God’s clear call to run, like Joseph.

Genesis 39:12-13 She caught him by his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house

Even if she sings in the choir and goes to church four times a week, RUN! Wisdom abounds but few men grasp it.

2. The best defence is a no-fence

Are you still negotiating with death? You want to know how close to the edge of the cliff can you stand without falling. That’s why you ask how far is too far. You are seated on the fence. Where there is smoke there is fire. Make your stand absolute; God’s is. Kissing is foreplay guys. It isn’t activity to pass time. Take time and read books concerning your sexuality. You will realize that your body responds very differently from what the movies tell you. Even the scientists have facts on this one, but God beat them to it.

Ephesians 5:3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality.

3. “Appreciating beauty” is the path to pornography and masturbation

Many Christian men use this terrible excuse a lot. A girl in a short skirt walks by and all the heads turn. The glances linger and the excuse is that God’s work of beauty must be appreciated. If you give excuses with lust, you will find yourself in a slow fade to pornography and masturbation. It starts with the girl on the street and continues to the girl on the screen.

Job 31:1 "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.

4. The Standards are high!

95% of men face sexual temptation frequently; the remaining 5% are lying. The standards by God are high, guys. Listen to what Jesus said.

 Matthew 5:27-28 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

None of us is righteous when it comes to sexual sin. We need to adopt humility in full view that our sins have separated us from God.

5. There is hope.

Christ Jesus took the punishment for our sins. Does that mean we have a leeway to sin? Absolutely not! The gravity of his sacrifice for you should be pondered on frequently. It will humble you out of your self-righteousness and it will affirm you out of your weakness. Christ died so that we should live. His Grace is not only for pardon but also for empowerment not to fall. I married my wife a year ago. We were both virgins and we waited for the marriage bed. It is possible even in the 21^st century because as long as you have committed to Christ, the victory is won; you just need to live it out. Find the things that destroy your hope. Find the TV series, the magazines, the company and all the stuff that causes you to struggle. Destroy them and embrace life! The last TV series I watched was in 2010. Why? They caused me to stumble. Embrace the hope and set the pace for the women you date, are engaged to and even are married to. Marriage doesn’t mean the struggle of lust will go away guys. Protect your woman’s virtue-even from yourself. Don’t kill the hope availed to you on that cross. Purity will never be a fashion so don’t wait for the masses. Live humbly, live righteously. We have all we need for Godliness.

2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness

Grace and Love,

Ernest

Faith

We have all heard or read of the great men and women in the bible, like how David with just a sling killed a giant, how Moses led the Israelites and believed God to part the Red Sea, how Abraham at 100 years old believed that God would give him and his aged wife a son, how Daniel refused to bow down to any other God and ended up in a lion's den, how Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the furnace, how Mary accepted to carry Jesus trusting it was God's will even though she was engaged...I can go on and on and on...
Funny how when we hear these stories we forget that these people were ordinary people like you and me, who God used to do amazing things that changed the world forever. These were ordinary people who faced the same challenges we do now maybe even worse, example: Mary was in love with Joseph and had saved herself for him, but when she was told that she was chosen to carry the Messiah she said “I am the Lord’s servant,May your word to me be fulfilled.” She was ready to give it all up just to do God's will and God brought Joseph in the plan. How many of us ladies would give up that fine young brother and trust God to work things out for us so as to fulfill His will? How many of us with a gun pointed on our heads if asked to denounce Christ would? and Daniel was ready to die for Him, How many of us work ourselves up because we do not see the job, the business, the spouse that God has promised? when Abraham believed God when it seemed impossible or when David believed that God would give him victory with only a sling and a stone(1Sam 17:1-58). How many of us believe that we are too messed up or too weak for God to use us to do great things? when Moses a stammerer was used by God and performed great miracles. 
  
Luke 1:35-38: The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Daniel 3:24-25: Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

The same God who parted the Red Sea, who made David defeat Goliath, who saved Daniel from the lions. who saved  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fire, who gave Abraham a son at 100 years old and who used a small normal girl to carry the Messiah is the SAME God who is alive today. So stop worrying that you do not have a job, you are broke, you are single or whatever else, if God can do all these great things what can He not do? Nothing is impossible with God!

So, all these people and many others who we read or hear about from the bible were not supermen or superwomen, they were people just like you and me who trusted God enough, who believed in Him to use  them to accomplish the great things they did. It only takes faith as little as a mustard seed for you to say to a mountain to move and it will move. None of these people was perfect but God used them, whats your excuse? You'll be amazed at how much you can accomplish if only you trust God instead of trusting yourself or your friends

All we need is FAITH, trust God with all your heart and leave Him to take care of you, leave Him to lead you in everything you do and you will be amazed at what He can do. You just might be who people read about in 50 years to come just because you had FAITH.

Self love

Confession time:I am very forgetful and I can take a joke too far and at times I miss out on the reminder that a situation is serious and does not need any jokes. These qualities have got me into trouble with both family and friends and maybe the reasons why my childhood dream of becoming a doctor never came true because probably I would have forgot and left a pair of scissors in a patient's stomach or I would make a joke when breaking the news to family and friends who have just lost their loved ones. Oh well....

Okay that aside, I know each one of us has that one thing either physically or a quality you have that you would want to change. Maybe its because people have told you that you are too tall, too big, too skinny, too dark, too short or whatever else they have told you or you have compared yourself to the pictures in the magazines or you compare yourself to someone who seems to have "it all  together".

BUT.... I have to say that when God made you, He made you exactly the way you are so as to fulfill your purpose on earth, He made you to be that height, He made your nose to look that way, He made your eyes to be that big or that small and He gave you that personality. He did not make a mistake . So the opinion of others should not matter because they did not create you, so who are they to tell you what you have is too much or too little, they have nothing to do with the plans that God has for you.

God made you exactly the way you are for a reason and the perks that we have for a reason because in our weaknesses He is made strong. Have you not seen people with no limbs touch the world? (nick vujicic) Have you not seen the blind, the deaf do amazing things? The people the society might have rendered useless do amazing things because God qualifies the unqualified. Because He does not see people the way we do, He does not look at the physical but at the heart.

1 Samuel 16:7: But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Peter 3:3-4 :Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. 

Psalm 139:13-16 : For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
 
God took His time creating you and as He says in His word that He set you apart even when you were in your mother's womb. He qualified you,so you are the perfect height,the perfect size, the perfect skin color, you have the perfect personality, your nose is in the right position to accomplish what God wants you to.

So  the next time you are tempted to compare yourself with someone who seems to have it all together or to compare yourself with the pictures in the magazine or to believe what someone else tells you,  remember that you have God's approval, you have His stamp on you that says you are beautifully and wonderfully made. For the weaknesses we have, we have them because it is through that that God's strength will be seen when we defeat the odds and achieve what others thought we could not achieve such that everyone will know that it was truly the hand of God in our lives.
So accept yourself, love yourself because the maker of the universe says you are beautiful, talented, smart, strong and you are the apple of His eye, let NO ONE tell you different.