Lessons

Asterika hated the contraption. She tried her best to wriggle out of the wheels the humans made for her. It felt heavy and cumbersome and retricted her movement. Squirrels were made to be on their feet always. Why  does this meddlesome human think she knows best?  It was fine when Priscy picked her up from the ground. Otherwise the boys would've certainly done some damage. It still wasn't very clear to Asterika if she fell down or if someone pushed her off the nest. Anyway after the fall, she couldn't move for sometime and the school boys armed with stones menacingly drew near.  Before a stone was cast, there was this sweet voice, clear as bell that meant something like the 'Princy pal's office' and what a pal that must be for this tiny human wasn't even as big as those school boys yet at the mention of her pal, they fled the scene.  Mulling over the happenings of that eventful evening, Asterika wanted to feel grateful, yet found it hard to be living indoors...

 Let me not treat like a trickle What comes at me like a deluge O love of God, let me drown in You And be washed ashore wasted for you.  I am tempted to read what I see And it's hard to believe that which I only know O love of God, draw me deeper still Where billowing waves scarce are heard

It was Summer time in the Southern kingdom. The crows were crowing and the ravens were raving and everything seemed as it always had been. Some reports of a mad prophet's prophesy circulated even among the birds. The king and his court were pompous about their opulence; they thought they'd tide over the prophesied drought without much difficulty. The birds had their fill from the palace trash and they never complained. However, all was not well within the Raven kingdom. Some ravens were getting together for a meeting, later that day.  Sabel, the senior raven was lost in thought as she took a trot to the branch on which her nest was. All the ancient stories told of ravens as the ones helping the wizards, creating omens and destroying hope as such. She couldn't remember one good ending to any of the Raven History. She was content with not being part of anything dark and had carefully warned her little ones to stay out of trouble. She flew in search of food that day bearing in...

No, no, no. This is not a take on The Lion, The witch and The wardrobe. Not even close. The man in the story dies at the beginning.  The Lion in this story is GUILTY. The donkey in the story is kind of a normal donkey. So the story goes like this: Flare was blind with rage, quite literally. He seemed to leap out of no where, landing quite nowhere tearing up a man riding a donkey. Almost immediately, his anger seemed to morbidly transform into something he couldn't describe. Shame? Guilt? Do animals feel that? He froze. Was it intentional? He couldn't tell. He was mad at the humans for killing his friend who had no intentions of harming them. The thought of their repulsive celebration as they carried the carcass on a pole made him gag. Why did he not feel the thrill or the satisfaction of  having avenged?  I don't know how long he could have gone on like that, because you see that's the thing with thoughts. you can live a life time in two minutes. Or spend a lifetime rem...

 Don't look at me!  I am just a sparrow up a tree.  I am not even fit for a sacrifice. It is reserved for those pigeons and doves. I am no good.  Just leave me alone.  Can't you see, I am trying to hide?  Rattle snakes are pretty common out here. Who knows?  You might just be one- pretending to be all human. And your being human is no relief to me. If Solo could make the passer -by understand, he would have chirped out the whole thing in under five seconds albeit hidden. But he was too scared to make a sound. All of this monologue was running in his head as the casual commoner strode along after a moment's rest under his tree.  That night he had a nightmare. In it, he fell off the tree into a man's hands. He got up with a cold shiver having come so close to feeling dead. For the next several hours, even after the sun had risen brilliantly, he didn't feel like leaving the nest. Hunger forgotten, he imagined the worst.  "Solo, you coward, shake...

 In the lake at Capernaum lived Grin, a fish with an unusually big mouth. It seemed as though someone had placed an invisible magnifying glass there and had forgotten about it.  When Grin was a small fry, he tried his best to be liked. Only his ways of 'helping' were not received well by the general public in the school. He was quite confident and thought himself smart until his successive attempts at helping others failed miserably.  Once he was caught helping his cousin identify edible worms in the water. Thankfully, just as Ken was about to close his mouth over the juicy worm aunt Saille furiously pushed him away from the hook, giving Grin an ear-full. That was the end of his life as the 'smart-assistant of the shoal' and the start of his 'lonely and loathsome' phase of life, trailing behind travelling alone in the shoal. Usually, his thoughts circled around, "why am I even a fish? Life would've been easier as a turtle." Of course, through all t...

 Have you heard of Isaac?  No? You can read about him in Genesis. That's where I am from. I am the Genesis 24 camel. I must have been born way before Genesis 24. But who records these things? Anyway, let's get to the point. I am a well-fed camel. I have been around. Kind of always travelled with treasures, you know. My master's father is the great old man Abraham. One day he called the grumpy old Eleazar and asked him to get a bride for my master. Oh bother! The fuss he made...  The day came and we set out. I was waiting for my turn. He loaded up Block with the food and water for the journey. Then it was Ben. What amounts of gold... Man you should see it to believe it. Okay then it was the clothes. You guys may not believe it, but back then clothes were a luxury. People killed to get clothes... I am not kidding. And here was my fellow Ben being given a load of that carry on his back. So I watched as spices and other things kept piling up. I am Isaac's favourite camel an...

 Henry lived in the infamous tree wrought with fighters, screamers, mockers and the silent spectators of whom, he was one. He was so silent that some crows thought he was mute. But there was a time when Henry spoke. That morning Henry went out with the oldies as usual, early and chirpy. He found the grub and was quickly full. But when the others returned, Henry wanted to explore and stayed out till evening, came home to a destroyed nest, and scattered feathers of his friends. A quick glance at the lot who took their place told him that their middle name could have been 'anarchy'. He too would have gone away in search of a new home, but he found Albert, the oldest crow voiceless, and hardly breathing. His right wing seemed trampled upon and he was about to let go of his perch. Henry supported him and with difficulty managed to find a warm place for the wounded crow. Since then, Henry hadn't spoken.  The new order came into effect soon as Mervin and gang nested themselves in ...

 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”  At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. Mark 1:11‭-‬13 NIV https://bible.com/bible/111/mrk.1.11-13.NIV What would you expect? When the heavens open and a voice is heard  And on your behalf it is stated , "With you I am well pleased"? Would you care to walk in the Saviour's shoes? When you are transported into the wilderness Just to be tempted by the devil Will you accept that cup and be still? Have you been there revelling in the promises one moment Feeling forlorn and forgotten the next? Did you wonder if God was really there, If He could then He would this trouble from you spare? The Son of God saw it fit to tread the desert sand Just to earn you back into the Father's hand.

I was the prodigal son who came back for a craving, but you ran out to me; now I'm never leaving I was the woman at the well I didn't know that I needed you until you told me so I had never been satisfied before. I was the leper who cried out, cut off from your people, cast out from your presence But You heard, you willed, you touched and offered to cleanse I was the woman caught red-handed Strange- as if by appointment they chased me up to you. Without an explanation you decreed ' no condemnation' I have known losses but I didn't think you cared You saw my tears and touched the bier Your comfort came unasked for You dealt with me as in pompous pride I cried Though all may flee, I will be It’s your prayer that held me. Replete with shame, I saw my King Afraid to make a prayer, I barely whispered  With Your dying breath, paradise you assured!

"What's your promise?" I said to my daughter as I peered over her shoulder to look at the promise card she was given. What's a promise? Something you vow to someone? Evidently I take it for granted that God vows to do something for me at the start of the new year. The fact is He speaks all year round. But He chooses to honour the eagerness and anticipation around this time and I choose to wait at His feet with extra caution. Almost like the little child who tries to avoid being naughty especially around Christmas time.  It amazes me how the promises of God are always eternal. Take for instance the verse from Genesis 28:15 "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” Genesis 28:15 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/gen.28.15.NKJV To me, it sounds like a lover's pledge. But the thing is, what has He spoken to me. For one , it is ...

After Christmas Yesterday, I read from Matthew second chapter to my children before they went to sleep. When I finished, my daughter said, "I think God saved the entire family when He sent Jesus away to Egypt." It gave me the jitters to think of the next question they would ask me, " if God saved Jesus from Herod, why didn't he save all the children?" The first Christmas was a promise of hope, joy, peace and love. But horror lurked just around the corner. Who knew? God did. He even foretold this misery. The Messiah was to be born into this chaos and grief. Not afterwards nor before that. Grief turns severe during Christmas. New year leaves not much to hope for at homes that have lost loved ones. But Christmas comes nevertheless. Just like kept promises, Christmas comes and with it comes the challenge to love beyond the grief.  I don't know the answer to why children die - be it in mass shootings or bizzare accidents. But what I do know is this. T...

It's Christmas! At the crack of dawn, I will get ready to go to church. So will my kids. It has never been a time for presents or for a gathering under the tree. Our home looks just the same inside as it did all year through. But the gentle skip in the heart every time my kids heard the word Christmas was almost tangible. Christmas is good tidings of great joy. Clearly it isn't the colours, the decorations or even the carols that make it special. It is a celebration of life as God saw it! Eternal, sacrificial, abundant, peaceful and joyful. "Christmas is our festival because we are Christians" my daughter said recently. But on that first Christmas dawn, the shepherds heard the angel sing a different tune. He said, "to all mankind." Christmas is Christmas for all! It seems it doesn't depend on what one believes. It is like the earth was round even when every soul upon it thought it was flat. The same way, the Messiah came even though His own did not ...

For all those out there still speculating “how could a man who was crucified in the prime of His life be called successful?” He traded our shamefulness by hanging naked on the cross. As the world jeered Him, He was fighting the most crucial battle for mankind. Why, who would understand that? His own people thought he was being punished by God.  Why do you stand afar and salute Him for his ‘famous last words’ if you really can’t make out who He is? This man lived out the gospel He preached. Don’t pay attention to His ‘dying’ words if you are not interested in what he said when He lived among us.  In case you are wondering: He said, ‘bless those who curse you. Bless and don’t curse. Pray for those who persecute you’ If a man could live by what he preached until his dying breath, if that isn’t success, then I think you got to hear more: The first recorded martyrdom for the faith in Jesus Christ is Stephen’s. His last words were the same as those spoken by the one He...

Eternal God: When you saw us leave the garden, clothed in sheepskin, it had to be a blood drenched coat of a blemishless lamb that should cover our nakedness. In a moment’s time we had traded our freedom and glory for slavery and shame. Father, how heart wrenching it would have been for you to send us out from your presence although You knew You would win it all back for us? Did we go to sleep crying? Did we at all sleep that night? How strange was it to us that we wouldn’t see You in the morning or walk by your side? Lord, when I don’t meet with you in the mornings and evenings of my daily life, will I feel strange and lost without you? I don’t want to get used to it. When did we begin to bring the work of our hands to you? Who was it who taught us to give to you?And when we did all that, did we understand that you did not need it at all? When you came down to confuse our languages so that we’d be sure that we are not self sufficient, was it not out of love to give us back what ...

Jesus washes the disciples' feet: It began with a demonstration that made no sense to the participants. There was their Lord and Master - claimed and acknowledged as the Son of God, taking off His outer garment and becoming a slave. This was right after they all had heard the  acknowledgement from heaven. Here, I am thinking of all those moments that I felt self-important: Answered prayers, well thought out responses to difficult questions, leading worship, praying for people... All of those times when I thought how wronged I was. All the hurts and intended meanings that I cried out to God about, together with those times when God dealt with some painful truths about my attitude to people lead up to this question: "Do you understand what I have done for you?" Bewildered as His audience were, I ask myself is this just about the humility of Christ? Thank fully, the Lord, explains Himself: "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also sh...

" I don't want to come to school to hear the teacher complain about you." I said it even before I knew what I meant. Then I tried changing it...  " It is not about me. It is for your own good. I want you to grow up into a good human being and not be a burden on the society" I realised it was still about me. How do you train up a child in the way that he(she) should go? I had to think hard to come to this point. My children are a heritage. They are not the bearers of my pride. Being a good human being is not natural. It takes seasons of failures and successes in every day life of the parent. Bringing up children is hardwork for me. As much as I cherished the song, ' Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus', and lingered over the lines " Jesus, Jesus how I trust Him, How I've proved Him o'er and o'er" it made more sense to me only after miserable moments of motherhood. I learned to let it rest at Jesus' feet. He gave me the courage to ...

In less than an hour it will be Christmas morn. I am no longer the unable to sleep with too much excitement kid. Over the years definitions of love have changed for me but it essentially has been always to do with me. Tonight I am forced to think of a love that's unearthly. Love that would rend the heavens and take me to eternity. That night the tired shepherds felt the warmth of heaven light up their souls with the greatest news of all time. For unto you... For unto us... The child born the Son given . The love that slaughtered. The love that wept, the Love that offered The love that received, the love that bore, the love that stills bears. They sing "love came down on Christmas morn" and I want to add: that love lingers on.

It is amazing how the truth of God's word can lift one's spirit in a moment. Only this morning I found myself struggling to get rid of a few thoughts. I took out my mobile bible and read it aloud (not quite) in a bus. As I finished, I asked in a typical sound of music fashion " why am I not feeling better?"  Getting oneself busy into the daily humdrum of life creates an illusion of not being right under the very nose of God and so I began to go about 'my' business with a vengeance that resulted in a headache after an hour of mindless games on the iPad. Left with nothing to do, I went back to what I had been reading through out the week - Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. After several unsuccessful attempts at getting the big picture, I was about to resolve myself to this one truth: this was the ultimate sign for the Jews and the disciples as Jesus' hour drew near. It would turn the hearts of those on the fence and incriminate those plotting against...

What is my answer? When all within me gives way As the surging sea quietly swept away A sleeping baby, a child at play, a mother in distress Lifeless limbs and hollowed out homes Cutting through cushioned kneelers and empty pews Alms in rush parading pride at best if not pity As a word is spurned and a thought is scoffed But arms in waiting mourn to be hugged Too spent to tear, too tired to weep Heartless, headless collaboration seize the day Emotions bespoke void of truth A world of terror grips me by the collar Shakes out the hope and calls it celebration Go about lightless, be a candle they say Never ignite  I listen as the serenade lingers on Accomodating the growing unrest within me To take to the streets the light the night dispels For fear that I might be questioned.