Thursday, April 23, 2015

Live Blogs: K.A.G. Annual National Youth Conference 2015, Day 2

Wednesday, 22nd April, 2015 (Day 2)
 
Scrapbook moments
7.00am
It seems like a fine day, this one. I've woken up late and it is therefore likely that I won't be taking breakfast. But I decide otherwise: to drink that fake tea the mama chai at the gate makes. 

8.30am
Some noisy but average praise right here... Average praise and worship. I guess it'll pick up with time... I choose to sit at the furthest end of the hall (a 3,000 capacity hall) - onto the left hand side of the preacher. 

The Hall
8.40am
There's a power blackout right in the middle of the worship service!! (I later learn that the amplifier had failed.) There's nothing as staining to a worship leader as leading thousands of people without the backup of instruments and microphones. Let's see how it fairs on... First days are always very complicated logistically. 

8.56am
Power ain't back yet, but the activities are on. 

9.04am
Presentations time. There's a guy here. Paul Mwai (or something close to that) is his name. I can't hear whatever he's singing. It's either he's singing in English or in Kiyuk or both. But guys clap before he's done - and that simply means that he's boring. 

9.11am
A lady is on the platform. (I'm sorry I can't take their photos because I'm kinda 60m away. Yeah, this hall is that big). From this time onwards, there are guys coming up to sing their own song compositions and all kinds of other presentations.
There is a projector over there but it seems these technicians are not ready to put it to good use.
Another guy just sang - a good worship song actually. There's another one with team building gestures.

9.28am
All the presentations upto now are peculiarly weird. And you still ask me why I don't sing at conferences? Come on!
Some guy just played us: he went there to present and did nothing. He just stood there, did nothing and came out from the podium.
Within the hall. (Focused from the furthest part of the left wing)
9.51am
The projector guys are now putting it to good use.
Some chiq attempts to sing Zahara's Loliwe but on a high key. It flops badly. This guy is trying it again. He started well, then changed the key. He has changed the key 3 times!! Dang. We are uninterested already. 

10.32am
And because these guys are boring, lemme read my devotion now. 

10.41am
There is a call to prayer just after I've chronicled and posted yesterday's events.
Guys from Vision TV (a subsidiary of KAG) are here. 

11.00am
Pastor Sammy Kihu Mwangi, the National Youth Director, is on the pulpit. We're excited. He invites this year's guest speaker, Rev. Jeff Kennedy and his wife (Assemblies of God ministers) who've traveled from Michigan USA to minister in the conference. 

Preacher - Rev. Jeff Kennedy
Text - Acts 4:13-15
"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say.
So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together."
Topic - Back to the Basics (Living Extraordinary Lives) 

Sermon Notes:
1. God is going to take our ordinary selves and make them extraordinary.
2. The Word is the fundamental thing in spiritual living.
3. We have to learn the essentials to Christian Living in order to be effective in our Christian living.
4. This passage addresses the results of Acts Chapter 3.
(I feel like whooping right now, lol. I can also spot one of the buzzers from the bus yesterday seated a few seats on my right. The dude is dozing. SMH.)
5. God desires to live through us in an extraordinary way. And if we allow Him to, He'll separate us for extraordinary things. We are called for this.
6. Three things we need to understand about miracles or extraordinary things (while considering the beggar that was healed in Acts 3) are:
(a) They are extraordinary events that cause people to ask questions.
(b) Miracles can neither be contained nor covered up.
7. Extraordinary people are;
(a) Courageous
(He now shares his testimony on how he led 30 people to salvation at age 17)
(b) Vocal - be able to speak out
(c) Willing - willing to be sent forth to proclaim what He commands us to.
8. Only Christ will make me/us extraordinary. 

12.12pm
Again, from my observation, guys are plastic here - just like in most courtship stages of relationship. Looking too good, lifting hands without any significance... bla bla bla.

12.18pm
The General Superintendent (Rev/Dr Peter G W Njiri) is in the house. He's invited to great the assembly.
He says that it was part of his agenda for us to be here (at KAG EAST University) this year. He shares on how he's excited when he sees young people serving God, because he started serving Him at age 11.
He shares his vision for the university with us, and what God is doing amongst us.
We read Psalms 32:8 (I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.)
A few notes from his speech:-
1. We cannot go astray when we follow the instructions of the LORD and of our leaders.
2. Let's allow the Lord to be our teacher and He'll make a difference out of us.
3. If He guides us, we'll make it in life.
4. Have wisdom and understanding >> Psalms 32:9 "Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you."

1.00pm
Lunch break. 

1.40pm
My music is important. Can't do without it. Now playing The Dream (a 2014 album) - Sanctus Real. 

2.00pm
As I'm chilling here listening to this awesome Sanctus Real stuff, some kid out there is calling their parent: "Ile pesa ulinipatia ya pocket money imeisha". Lol, parents are really in their own kind of trouble. Pesa imeisha after 2 days? Hah! 

2.43pm
I don't feel like going back inside (to the hall). I mean, lunch should be two hours, yes? 

3.05pm
Sports time.
Lucky me.
Oooh, because I've become lazy after the food, lemme check out the hall for a little while...
Meaningless introductions is what I find: you know those ninjas who begin their introduction with "God is good, all the time... And all the time, God is good..."? Those ones? They are here making introductions.
Campus officials introductions. You can guess what they are saying (you've heard it all the time) so I don't have to tell you.
I've learned that the tagline of this campus is "A UNIVERSITY OF TRANSFORMATION" though.
There is a tiny marketing strategy in their speeches. A good one also.
Then there is a Magazine (Christian Times) published every month which we need to buy if interested. 

Administration block
3.24pm
Talk. Talk. And more talk.
What is "being digital"? We are asked.
Then one Mr. Muturi (I think I got the name right) is invited.
He starts by blabbering about his numerous successes and his magnificent profile so that we may know that he ain't a nahbody...
(Oooh well... You talk. We will listen.)
Here's what he says:
1. "Going digital" is all about bringing the Church to the market place.
2. The church is called to guide the world in the market place.
3. The best working and stable companies in the world are not owned by the government but by families. Adam failed in managing his family thus his failure was greater.
(I'm now feeling that this guy is talking about stuff only about 40% of the audience is interested in. Hecklers around me are already saying that he's lying. Lol.)
4. The Church in Kenya is going to have its own cyberspace which will become an owned platform by which it delivers its message in the current generation. It is called the Church Blaze (he, with a team of others created this platform.)
Characteristics of Church Blaze:
(a) It is a social platform
(b) It censors all obscene language
(c) It acts as a communication tool amongst brethren all over the world: pastor-member-pastor.
(d) Made to guide/lead the world in the cyberspace.
(e) Completely owned by the church.
(f) It has an e-commerce platform that is also global.
(Some weaves I'm seeing here tho... The one I've spotted makes the lady look like a gorilla - no pun intended, ladies)
Individuals and churches can join the network via:
Website: www.churchblaze.com or
www.blazebay.com
Phone: 0701-899-251
Or download the Android app: Church Blaze from the Play Store. 

4.15pm
Official sports time. I had wanted to watch this but the place is kilometers away. I ain't going nowhere. Probably tomorrow. 

5.00pm
Kids are buying newspapers, lol. What do they need newspapers for, really? Kids?
And in this free time I'm now thinking: "Hey, why do people always post on social media to tell us of their breakups na huwa hawatuambii wakikatiana?"
Okay, it's none of my business. 

5.30pm
Now browsing through those offline articles from Engadget, news24Kenya and Drippler: a boy's gotta know what's going on in the world, man. 

7.00pm
I'm now what I call "a victim of placement": where you don't know what to do with the lots of time you now have when you are at a different place separate from the usual.
Also, there are incidences that have occurred here that concern food. I won't write about that. Man, food is such a delicate issue... No wonder it was the first and most consequential sin... 

8.44pm
There are relationship thirsty teens all over the place. And did I just smell ile mafuta inaitwa Dipak? Oh my! 

8.50pm
Presentations time, it is. Good ones. Fake ones. Blunt ones. Juicy ones. Tasteless ones. Funny ones.
(The Dipak girls just passed by.)
Some people give their presentation, and they leave you like; "so who told you that you can sing? Your small bruh?"
It seems my guy just got himself a chiq. *Switches on my wait-and-see mode*
This place is full of counterfeits and wannabes. SMH. I guess it is typical of young people, right? 

9.00pm
Bible challenge.
15 districts are competing today, then there will be another 15 for tomorrow. Then it gets boring because they are asking those obvious questions. Questions like: "And He went to Lake Galilee, and saw them fishing, and told them, 'Follow me, for I will make you _____________'". You don't ask me such questions! They aren't challenging me, and if they are not, I'm leaving. So I go to sleep. (Yeah, say whatever you want, but that's how I roll.) 

10.45pm
I'm out. 


Bonface Morris.

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