Lessons

 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 ...