Stop the Killings!

Note:

These are my personal views on current murders of ladies in relationships that go wrong (in one way or another).

First, we shouldn't be seeking to blame anyone. I think seeking for a person to blame is a wrong approach. The good approach would be: why - in the first palce - is it happening?

And I can say this: it's a matter of identity crisis with both the young women and the young men in our society today. 

It is happening because people have transferred their identity from what God says they are to what society and themselves think they should be. 

Lemme explain:

1. Men (wanaume) struggle a lot with rejection and withheld honor. If a man has not established well in his heart and mind who he is, he is likely to go psychotic when denied what he was demanding for. Hii ndio Amerix huita "not losing your form", and it may be one of the few times I agree with him (that men should know who they are and establish who they are well before getting into relationships).

Getting your "form" (which in Christianity we call "identity") itafanya men to stop objectifying and victimizing women, stop them from becoming uncontrollably emotional and stop them from making unrealistic demands of their women. And this will stop the killings. 

Amerix offers a physical way of gaining "form" which is temporary; God offers a permanent way of gaining identity that is permanent: become like Jesus - who instead of hitting, insulting and hating people, loved people and minded His own business without caring what people said even after He was rejected by men and they refused to honor Him after all He had done for them.

2. Women (wanawake) struggle a lot with lack of money and the quest for attention. If a woman finds a way to meet her daily demands for money which will make her look a certain way and boost her ego to arouse more attention in men, she is likely not to think twice so long us she'll get the money and the attention. 

In most cases, money seems to be the thing that helps a woman build her identity or "the female form"... Which is mostly about how she'll look and how society will interpret her looks vis-a-vis other women in the society. She struggles with making herself to look in a certain way and wants attention while doing it. Men know it and offer the money to help her achieve her goal. 

Ladies should understand that God has said many things concerning their insecurities and offers a far better solution to them than money or people around them. That solution is Jesus. If a lady accepts Him, He will show her what real worth is and she will thirst no more for the attention she is seeking for from men. He will teach her to be patient with who she is becoming, to face Him and tell Him her needs, to stop depending on mankind for her validity and needs and to lean on His promises because Jesus is the only man that has never lied.

This will establish her identity on solid ground. 

***

Now, when a man that lacks identity meets a woman that as well hasn't believed what God says she is, what comes out is chaos: murder, violence, envy, jealousy, hatred, badmouthing, prostitution, orgies, immorality, lust e.t.c. All these sins come from a place of imbalance due to lack of "form" or identity in both men and women. 

It doesn't matter how it begun and how it's culminating, it's all about identity crisis.

The boychild should understand that his worth is not in being accepted by women but in being accepted (and never rejected) by God and ladies should know that their worth is neither in how they look nor how they're wanted and appreciated by people but in what God has said concerning them. 

When we establish this in every young person, then they won't kill or dictate and we won't be running around looking for love and money in the wrong places. 

Peace. 

Morris 2.0.

9 Types of Men

Listen, my son. 
Let me tell you something about men and their women, something I know that you really need to know. 

Son, after reading this, realize that how you treat your woman determines in which category you will fall.

Women are to be treated special; because the LORD GOD says they're fragile and special: beautiful and created in His own image to fulfill His purpose on earth. Son, if you think otherwise, then you don't value what God says about women, and it's almost true that you won't listen to me either. 

Son, there may be 8 types of men, but there are actually three major types in this world that I will talk about below: those who praise their women in public, those who don't praise their women in public and those who have the audacity to flatter other men's women.

What I say below concerning men has nothing to do with the character on the women in these men's lives but the intentional choice a man makes to treat his woman in a certain way in public whether his woman is a "devil" or "angel".

Son, use this critique to also evaluate how I treat my woman. Then you'll know what kind of a man I truly am. 

So here goes...

TYPE 1: MEN WHO PRAISE THEIR WOMEN IN PUBLIC 
Under this class, there are three types of men;
  
(a) Those who praise their women in public because these women are worthy of their praise. 
These are blessed men whose women's private and public lives speak the same language of integrity: they are women of valor and of great character. 
Because such a species of women are rare today, these men are truly blessed; and their praise of their women is like pouring oil on an already deserving head. 

(b) Those who praise their women in public even when these women are not worthy of their praises. 
These are men of steel. They are men who choose / decide to praise their hideous women in public because it's the right thing to do. 
Son, honor these types of men. It takes lots of grace from our good Lord to always say good things about an undeserving person. Honor them. 

(c) Those who praise their women in public because these women coarse them to do so. 
Such men, for the sake of peace, have learnt the art of beautifying sadness. 
They work under close monitoring and supervision, analysis and scrutiny from their trigger-happy women who are ready to pounce on them in the evening if they dare say a negative thing about them. 
Son, also realize that these men never ever say a negative thing about their women even when it could bring a lot of good - even just as an act of humor! 
These men are liars, son. Avoid them if you can. They are super-hypocrites! 


TYPE 2: MEN WHO DON'T PRAISE THEIR WOMEN IN PUBLIC 
Now, son, let me tell you something about the other class of men who don't praise their women in public. They are of three types too; 

(a) Those who don't praise their women in public because these women don't deserve these praises. 
These have chosen to say totally nothing good or bad about their women. Maybe it is because of the unworthiness of their women's tendencies. Or, maybe, they're just cowards. 
It doesn't matter. 
A man who never talks about his woman is either a wolf amongst sheep or the lamb itself. 

(b) Those who don't praise their women because they have never been taught that it is the good / right thing to do. 
Son, when a man has lived all his life without hearing and seeing women praised, he grows up thinking that there is nothing like praising women. 
He grows cold and incessantly unchivalrous towards women, and this is not a good thing. 
Son, women were born to hear words: they're addicted to them. So a man who has not been taught in the skills of flattering his woman because she deserves it, is likely to be read in very many bad books amongst the womenfolk. 

(c) Those who don't praise their women in public because fellow men have coarsed them to do so. 
These men, out of a high sense of egotism, think praising women in public makes a man less of who he already is. 
Son, such men think that they're better than God... Ahem... Even God praises women... See this: 
Luke 1:28 (NKJV) And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!"
If God is in the habit of praising women in public, son, never let these men lie to you: it is the right thing to do!

(d) Those who don't praise their women in public because they have taught themselves not to. 
Some men learn things along the way. See, life has a funny way of teaching us lessons, and we all need to learn the right things from it. 
Son, don't be such a man, who after being mistreated by other useless women, is coarsed into saying that you'll never value a woman to the extend of praising her in public. Don't. 
Don't teach yourself what will cost you the joy and happiness of your woman. 

TYPE 3: THE MOST DANGEROUS TYPE OF MEN
But son, beware of other type of men - the third type - the most dangerous type. 

(a) Men who have no women of their own but thrive on praising other men's women. 
Oh! Son, if you ever have to be any type of man at all, don't be this one! A man who hasn't accepted the responsibility of having his own woman but nonchalantly praises other women day in day out should be known as the man who empties a fuel tank when the relationship vehicle is moving. 
He crashes relationships and destroys marriages, son. Such a man, if there was any mercy in me, is better suited for the cells. 

(b) Men who have women of their own but only praise other men's women. 
Like their first brothers, these ones are adulterous men filled with lust and whose main intention is to steal other men's women. 
They are not satisfied with their own women and are not ready to commit to make their women better. 
They are greedy beasts who feast on meals they haven't prepared. 
Shut them out of your life, son! Shut them out! 

*******
Now, son, of these 9 types of men, which one do you choose to be?


Bonface Morris. 

Always Ask

Let me share with us some tiny wisdom I have learned over time. The wisdom is this: when in doubt, always ask. It costs you nothing to ask. 

*******
Have you ever been in a situation where things were being said about someone you know quite well and you didn't know what to make of it? 

It may have been that what was being said was either true or false; you just didn't have enough evidence to verify the facts. And this kept you "hanging in there" waiting for the story to end so that you may deeply reflect on the allegations. 

With such scenarios playing a lot in my life of late, I have come to realize that if you depend on another person to tell you the whole story of another person, there will always be bias (good or bad.) 

Take for instance a story an old man - who should be respectable according to public understanding - told me about a year ago: that this lady we both know and with whom we had been interacting several times had been pregnant in a manner I don't know and had given birth to a baby I had never seen. 

Not that she couldn't get pregnant, but the story startled me because for the whole period the allegations were being thrown against her, I had been seeing her in perfect "babylessness".

Now, after listening to the story, I sensed that it was sh*t. Yes, I just said that. The story was sh*t. It was that way because it had so many holes:

1. There hadn't been any visible evidence of a pregnancy: there was neither a baby bump nor any other physiological changes associated with pregnancies for all the time I was interacting with her. 

2. There was no need for me to know about someone's private affairs like a relationship or a pregnancy. Those two things are private, and him telling me about them without the consent of the lady meant that this old man had no respect for people's privacy. I felt like shutting him down. 

3. Why would he care about it anyway if he was going to do nothing about it but just report to Morris? Am I God? Or had God appointed him as an accusing angel to talk about what goes wrong where and with whom? 

See? That's what made me write this blog. Stuff like that makes me feel bad about how people approach other people's successes or failures. 

And for that matter, if you're faced with such ballooned stories in life, you got a few options with you; 
1. Face the story-teller and shut them down, or 
2. Say nothing, or 
3. Do what this blog post is advising you to do: ask. Ask both the victim of the story and the story-teller to sync the two points of view. 

In my case, I picked number two. I said nothing. 

Why? Because 
1. the evidence was clear that none of what he was saying was true; and 
2. silence ensures that he won't bring me any of those fake stories any time soon once he realizes that I don't give comments on people's private lives. 

It may be that you have heard funny stories about a prominent person or a great leader; or that someone is blaming the leadership in a certain place for a certain mess. Either shut that person up, say nothing, ask the story-teller how sure they are that what they are saying is true or go ask the person being badmouthed if what is being said is true. After that, deal with whatever truth you find in a gracious way. 

Here are some other things you can do:

1. Verify a story first before drawing conclusions. 
Go to the victim and get their story before you draw a conclusion. There are always two sides to a story. Get both before victimizing anyone. 
Proverbs 18:17 (ESV) "The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him."

2. Don't poke your nose into people's private lives. It's none of your business. 
Don't go investigating without prior background information. You may end up being a gossip-monger. Even the Bible supports this here: 1 Thessalonians 4:11 (NIV) "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you."

3. Only pray to God or pass on the information to other parties for help after getting the whole story. 
Don't give the devil a chance to play you into his conniving slanderous schemes. 

Conclusion
Here's a simplified version of what I'm saying... 
1. Quietly listen and understand. 
2. Ask questions to get views from both sides. 
3. Take action. 

It costs you nothing to ask, so always ask. 

God bless. 

Bonface Morris. 

Relationship Blues Part 3: We Are All Imperfect, Somehow

Note: 
Read part one in this series of blogs here: Relationship Blues Part 1: Do You Really Want that Breakup? and part two here: Relationship Blues Part 2: Understanding Conflict In Relationships.

*******
For the past two Valentines, Adrian has been sitting here at The RED SHOP, and both times, he has been ordering for that same "perfect meal" they loved having with Lillian. Such a perfect place for perfect meals. 

The perfect bad habit he has taught himself whenever he hops in at such a time of the year is this:

He takes out his phone - an imperfect Samsung-Galaxy-something (one of those Samsung names according to the year it was released) - taps on the Gallery app, and scrolls down through it. 

He moves on to "sort albums by calendar" and hovers down to year 2015. There, he finds himself staring at Lillian's photos with lots of nostalgia: such a beautiful, but mostly fragile thing! While scrolling, he bumps into a stream of photos when their relationship was as flawless as a baby's skin and as smooth as its butt. 

Even the surroundings in those photos agree that theirs was a relationship made in Heaven, by God Himself: carefully crafted, and meticulously thought-out; the work of a master-engineer. 

In those photos, as he sees buildings, grasses, stones and trees around them - the selfies and all - memories come thudding in. Perfect memories. Everything becomes so alive that a pain engulfs his inner being. It's like his heart is being squeezed from within and the blood is oozing down into his stomach as a reality concealed in excruciating pain. 

It's unbearable. The pain is unbearable. 

"Why are memories so perfect yet reality so baffling?" 
"Why didn't it work out?" he asks himself as the waiter come backs with his order. 
"Why, Lord, why!?"

He reminisces the fanciful times they had together. 
"She was perfect! Almost...!!!" He smirks. 

He has always wanted someone perfect - a perfect woman. Someone with; 

1. A perfect body - a body so perfect that fellow men will stop their cars just to look at her. Some synergy between a work of art, a wild idea and an angel. 

2. A perfect relationship with God - a lady so soaked in Jesus' blood that she's dripping with it wherever she is, yet so humble and committed in ministry that she could preach his nerves away. 

3. A perfect relationship with themselves - a woman so down-to-earth and open-minded that she is comfortable with who she is and knows where she's going. 

4. A perfect relationship with other people - a lady that everyone praises - everyone - for her good manners and kind heart; and one that dearly loves everyone.

He was obsessed with wanting a perfect girlfriend. His thoughts were so tainted that every girl he met had to meet a certain criterion he had stipulated for "a lady worthy his life and time". Not even angels could pass his "tests". Come on, even angels fall, no? Such imperfect things. 

But if Adrian would sit himself down just for a little while and consider the following, maybe he'd realize that we are all imperfect, somehow;

1. As a man, could he conclusively say that he had a "body to kill"? Oh! And that every woman would drool at him and the "perfect" features of his body as he passed around while breathing God's beautiful free air? 

2. Did he have a perfect relationship with God that never faltered? Oh! And didn't he ever sin? Like, ever? Was he always fired up for God? Really? 

3. Was he contented with himself and the totality of who he was then? Oh! And had he achieved everything achievable by men his age? 

4. And finally, did ALL people love him? Oh! And did he love everyone with no strings attached and without excuses? 

If could answer every question above with a "yes", maybe, just maybe, we may start recommending ladies for him. But he still won't find that perfect woman he dreams of. Perfection is a fad, a bad one. 

*******
Now, as Adrian thinks of how his Valentines will be this year, he tells himself that he's got to change. And things have to change. The past is gone, the present is here, and the future is beckoning. He cannot afford to be what he has always been. He will step out, fall in love again, and bear the burdens of imperfection every relationship comes with. This time round, he won't allow his faults and weaknesses to be hidden from his own eyes and he won't be expecting more than he can give. 

This time, it will have to be different. Of course he won't trim down his standards and expectations and he won't play around with his values but he will give his heart a chance to love again: to love freely. Because when you love with a free heart, he has learnt, everything else releases itself to allow your heart to flourish. 

Another thing he is realizing is that maybe God gives us imperfect people to remind us of our own imperfections and to help us learn patience and how to surrender everything to Him; and after all has been said and done, so that we can all, together with God, say, "It is good", "It's alright", "It's perfect."

Closing thought 
A perfect person is almost a thing, and it's hard to love things, because things don't know how to love back. 


Note: 
This post is dedicated to all people full of pettiness in relationships (haha) and to everyone who's ever regretted letting go due to petty reasons. Don't worry, your foolishness just made you wiser, hehe. 



Bonface Morris. 

Stuff I Learnt From Last Year (2017 Edition)

Generally, here's my Year 2017 summarized in various forms... 

Also, it you're interested in what I picked up from previous years (especially 2016), click here. 


Quotes from Various Sources 
1. You don't have to worry about what people say about you, but what people say about you that is true. - Brian Houston (senior pastor, Hillsong Church) in an interview with Carey Nieuwhof (Canadian pastor and leadership guru.) 

2. Leaders who stop believing the best about people stop receiving the best from people. - Carey Nieuwhof 

3. Growth has more to do with your attitude than your budget - from an e-book called The Senior Pastor's Guide to Breaking Growth Barriers. I shared this book here. 

4. You can disagree with my choices all you can; but judging my choices won't change yours. - from Hell On Wheels (TV Show) Season 2, Episode 7.

5. While describing the nature of a fallen world, the script writer of Hell On Wheels in Season 3 episode 2 says, "Every man here carries a gun, which can be had for as little as 3 dollars, and a knife and goes to church on Sunday."

6. Love without truth is sentimentality; it supports and affirms us but keeps us in denial about our flaws. Truth without love is harshness; it gives us information but in such a way that we cannot really hear it. - Tim Keller 

7. For in the beginning of things is often to be found their end. (Salem, TV show, Season 2 episode 1).

8. Nobody here does anything to be nice. The quicker you learn that, the longer you survive. - UnREAL season one episode 9.

9. There is nothing (evil) a man cannot do once he accepts the fact that there is no God. - from Don't Breathe (movie). 

10. You cannot win a war without a general. - Tyrant (TV Show) season 2.

11. Billy Graham’s Rules for effective Christian ministry:
(a) Operate with financial transparency.
(b) Avoid even the appearance of sexual immorality.
(c) Avoid criticizing other pastors and churches.
(d) Be painstakingly honest in all publicity.

12. We don’t want to become a company for everything, we want to become a platform for everything. And in fact we’ve even moved on from using the word platform. We now use the word raft because platform is something which sits still. A raft is something which moves. And the world that we’re in today is moving at a particularly rapid pace - Bob Collymore, Safaricom CEO 

13. If you cannot be honest with yourself, how can you get the truth out of anyone else? - Quantico (TV Show)

14. We should notice that there is a big difference between being present and being in the presence of God - Kim Walker-Smith (while performing THRONE ROOM at Worship Central's New Song Cafe) 

15. Everything is food for something else - Carl in The Walking Dead Season 2, Episode 7

16. Judas Iscariot was not a godly man who had a bad day, but an ungodly man who got exposed on one day - Pst. Mark Driscoll 

17. Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God. But only he who sees, takes off his shoes - Elizabeth Barrett Browning

18. The highest expression of stewardship is obedience, not readiness - Edmund Chan. 

19. Contrary to popular opinion, “No” is a complete sentence. - Scott Savage 

20. Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, is the truth. - Elementary (TV show) Season 1, episode 10.

21. "The paradox of tolerance" refers to the act of being intolerant of intolerance. - Unknown 

22. There's always a temptation to go, "Alright, well, let's write another 'Oceans'." But I'm, like, a firm believer that God's always doing something new, as opposed to the comfort of resting on laurels or resting on what's worked in the past. - Joel Houston (co-writer of Hillsong's "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)") in their documentary, Hillsong - Let Hope Rise (2016)

23. Trust is such a delicate thing. Always easily clouded by love or hate. - Quinn in "Into the Badlands" (TV show) Season 2 episode 3.

24. Jimmy Kimmel on Las Vegas Shootings: “It feels like someone has opened a window into hell.”

25. A shark that does not swim sinks - Arrow Season 5 episode 1.

26. We should give not because we have but because we know the pain of lacking - Anonymous 

27. It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another two new ones till you have read an old one in between. - C.S. Lewis


Lessons On Life and Personal Growth 
1. Everyone - even the most forgiving and the most tolerant - has a breaking point. Just don't stretch them to that point. You'll regret it. 

2. When you realize that you are not always right, you'll LOVE to listen to people who think TOTALLY DIFFERENT from the way you do. It will keep you sober. 

3. Approach another person's weaknesses and failures with caution. Do it as if you're walking bare feet in a room full of broken glass. Because that's the same way you'd like people to deal with you when your world is falling apart. Yes, like it or not, it will someday. 

4. The other word for a "tired mind" is depression. 

5. "I have nothing to hide" is an understatement. Everyone has something to hide.

6. Don't rush. Your "next" may be now. 

7. Not everything has an immediate "next". Dig deeper. Your next may be now. 

8. The debate on what to wear and what not to wear is not about you or the clothing you're wearing, but the one you're representing. 

9. He is no man he who has to be reminded or who has to remind others that he is one. 

10. At some point, we have all said something regrettable - something nasty - something that we all want everyone to forget; but they don't and they won't forget. So we just have to bear with that reality and move on. That is life. 

11. People can sometimes see holes in your character which you don't; so don't always put them off when they tell you some stuff. Go think about it. It helps. 

12. Don't take me as I am and leave me the way you found me; take me as I am then rebuke my stupidities. Then you'll be a good friend. 

13. Be yourself. That's the best gift you can ever give yourself and others. 

14. Your freedom is always limited to what you know. The more you know, the freer or more enslaved you become. 

15. Almost everyone that loves second hand things is stingy. 

16. People love anonymity online because it gives them the needed courage to be evil without accountability. It's the courage of fools.

17. Misplaced passion is a dangerous thing, a violent master.


Lessons On Leadership 
1. Through close observation, you realize this: that there is always the other guy under that great leader that seems wiser and better than the leader but doesn't really care about titles and fame.

2. I always think that the greatness of a leader is in how many people one has mentored and not the number of his or her followers.

3. When you're not answerable to anyone, it's not a privilege but a trap - a trap for impeding disaster. Autonomy makes you think that you are a god; you are not. You are human and you are replaceable.

4. A leader needs to trust people - whether those people are trustworthy or not - or he/she will lead alone. And leading alone is tough and exhausting.

5. Everyone has potential hidden in them it's the responsibility of the leader to identify it and help that person fully unlock it. 

6. If you don't adapt fast after trusted members of your team move out of town, your team is likely to stagnate or die altogether. 

5. The absurdity of being a "prominent public figure" is that someone can deny God His glory so that to guard his/her ego.


Lessons On Ministry and Christian Living
1. There are at least three types of Christians: 
(a) Those who live by always being amazed by what God is doing. 
(b) Those who live by always being threatened by what the devil is doing. 
(c) Those who don't know the difference. 

2. Prayer should not replace strategy and strategy should not replace prayer. Each one has its place in the journey of success. Carnality is when you replace prayer with strategy, and foolishness is when you replace strategy with prayer. 

3. Holistic Christian teaching touches on three areas of life: a Christian's relationship with God, a Christian's relationship with their surroundings (people and things) and a Christian's relationship with their own self. 

4. Your level of obedience to God is not ultimately determined by what you do after He's given you instructions to follow but what you decide that you'll do even before He gives you the instructions. That is called surrender. There can never be total obedience without surrender. 

5. Fear says, "We've never done that before!" Faith asks, "So what?"

6. Everyone has a theology. It may be right, it may be wrong, but we all have a theology. We all have something to say about God. 

7. The finished product.
That's what we all seem to see in others, but rarely in ourselves. That's also what God sees in all of us. But, of all things we are ever supposed to see, we rarely see it in ourselves.

8. Most of the time, we think we know what we want... until we receive it, then we don't actually know what to do with it. That's why God hesitates to give us stuff, until our purpose and what we want are aligned in the same path. Then, only then, will we know what to do when we receive what we want. 

9. Every spiritual gift has its own way of discipline in order to maintain its effectiveness. Break the discipline, and you make the gift ineffective in edifying the church or oneself. 
A prophet is given a grace totally different from a teacher, who in turn is given a different grace from an encourager. Once you understand your gift, also seek to understand its gracing and its disciplines. 
Flowing within your gift and diligently being disciplined in it makes it effective as far as you are concerned and as empowered by the Holy Spirit. 

10. God will let you have the leader you deserve; but it's not necessarily His choice. This means that God will allow you people to have a leader (whether nominated or elected) but that does not make Him the chooser. 

11. Too much prayer without praise and thanksgiving is like always borrowing but never saying "thank you". Praise the Lord also, for that is the duty of man. 

12. It is quite humbling when we realize that God has made us part of His story: His great story of saving the world.

13. No one is angrier at sin than God; and yet no one is more forgiving of sin than He is.

14. God will do it. Not because you are good, but because He is good.

15. In ministry, the surety and promise within your call is the source of your perseverance. 

16. Three people are always watching you: people, the devil and the Lord. But they do it differently. 
The one to criticize and judge you, the other to devour you and the last one to show you favor.

17. The less fervent the prayer, the more carnal the mind.  

18. The longer we live, the more we realize that we need God more than we even need our own lives. 


Lessons on Relationships, Marriage and Family 
1. You cannot break a relationship habit under the same conditions that created it. That's why breakups are a necessary ingredient while dating. 

2. Fall in love but with your mind wide open. Being drunk with love is dangerous, way more dangerous than being drunk with anything else imaginable. 

3. Another observation I've made concerning married people: there is a very big difference between the wife that's appreciated in public, and the other one who's demonised in public. 

4. Most of the arguments in relationships end with the man demanding that he be respected and the woman pleading that she be heard. It's a quintessential overflow of a very infamous peculiarity. 

5. Once sex is involved, the mind is blurred to thinking right. The mind becomes "sexified".
Avoid the sexification of your minds, guys.

6. If you want to be a poet or a philosopher (or both), get into a very good relationship or a very bad one. The awesome or diabolic actions of your partner will always have an an effect on the overflow of your words. 

7. The best therapy for a man is an ego boost, not psychoanalysis.

8. Relationships have issues. Marriages have more.


Lessons on Music, Worship and Singing 
1. To all musicians, lead worshipers, singers etc: you're as good as both your public and private voice rehearsals. You may sit around the best vocalists and be trained by the best voice trainers in this world but if you're not teachable and you don't take time to practice both in public and in private what you're taught, your voice will remain as bad as it was 10 years ago. True story. 

2. This world is filled with too many superstars, but less artists. Creativity is so elusive today.

3. You can be a great singer with a great voice but when you overdo your voice techniques, you just end up boring everyone. When it comes to singing,  little is more. 

4. If a song is helping someone reach God, regardless of how you feel about it as the singer, just sing it. Right then, it's God's song for the person, not yours. 

5. People who sing are either very happy people or very sad people. Music only knows two extremes of emotions: happiness or sadness. 

6. If you don't delight in the exactness of detail, you can't be an artist. 


That's basically what I picked from 2017.
See you in the next blog as we start talking relationships and stuff... 


Bonface Morris. 

Keep Moving

Keep moving, the sky shouldn't be your limit

Friend, I hope you are well today and before I forget... Happy New Year!

I'm fine, and I just want to share with you something for this new year...

Whatever you began last year or are planning to begin, keep doing it. Move forward. Keep moving, keep going.
No matter how small the difference is between where you were yesterday (or last year) and where you are right now, keep moving.
No matter the increase in the number of obstacles you face, keep moving. Keep going.
You can't afford to be a useless stone: one without breath, without use, without life and without progress.
You can't afford to be in the same place being pitied upon and being used as a mud scrapper. You gotta move.
But if you choose to be a stone, be that good stone, be the useful stone: the one they use to build upon the foundation that is Christ. Be that stone that grinds wheat into flour, that one that every ship anchor seeks for.
Be the useful good stone.

Friend, most of us will tell you that you haven't made quite a change, that you have two pairs of legs: one pair that that moves you forward and another that moves you backwards. 
Ignore us.
Most of us think we know who or what you are. We may remind you of your shortcomings, your upbringing and your limitations.
We may do so verbally or non-verbally, actively or passively. 
We may omit you in groups of "forward-seeing people" or group you together with "losers".
We may ridicule, heckle, yell and tell you that all you are doing is to no good.
But keep moving. Ignore us, don't listen to us, and keep moving. 
If you are convinced that what you are today isn't what you were yesterday, and that what you will be tomorrow is excellent, keep moving.
We ain't your God and we are not your goals. You shouldn't please all of us. We are not God, so keep moving. 
You should worry more about whether God is on your side or not; not us.

By the way, friend, you only need two people in your fan base: God and you.
If there be a third one, let it be; if not, keep moving. Ain't nobody got time for negative energy.
Please don't listen to us most of the time - we who pretend to support you yet disappear when you need us most or speak nonsense behind your back. Don't. 
Listen to your God, listen to your goals and vision, then maybe listen to us when we agree with these two. If not, stop listening to us.
We are bad influence. We are bad influence because we think we know who you are and where you are headed. We don't.
We think you're like us. You're not. Whenever you realize that we think you are like us, don't listen to us. You'll lose it.

Friend, lastly, let me tell you this... 
If you wanna go to the studio and record a song this year, go. Don't give a damn what we gotta say if God says it's a great idea. Go!
But do so with humility.
If you wanna write a book, start a mentorship program, open a blog, start a business, build a home, start a family, go back to school, move from where you are to another town, start a side hustle, reapply for a job, start a school, get into a relationship, drop a habit, drop a friend or friends, join ministry, start a project, propose to your girl and God says He's got your back, go!
You're unstoppable if God is on your side. 
The sky shouldn't be your limit, the sky is your lauchboard. So, go!
And, friend, if there'll come a time along the way when you doubt yourself, look to God, put your hope in Him, lean on His promises, scoff at the devil, look right ahead... and keep moving. 
You can do this. 

Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. (Psalm 105:4)

Bonface Morris.

If Your Drawing Board and Your Strategy Are the Same Thing, You're Finished

Some of us know how to deal with failure: we put the bitter truth on a plate, stare at it, muse over it, eat it with haste and and move on. But most of us don't.

And this happens (not being able to deal with failure) mostly when we have all our eggs (hopes and dreams) in one basket (in one person, strategy or plan). It is when we cannot comfortably put that plate of failure on the table and eat it. We pretend to focus elsewhere, albeit to kill the urge to eat the failure-feed, but mostly, always falling short. Then we may either end up blaming the plate, the table or the chair instead of focusing on the failure-feed.

So, the question now is: when our present failed strategy is and was our only way out, what do we do?

I'm afraid to say that if your drawing board and your strategy were/are the same thing, then you're done. You're finished. You, are, finished.

I'll explain.

Let's imagine that you were invited to a song-writer's competition requiring participants to only sing their best original compositions. Also, participants may write as many good songs as they wish. But as for you, even after knowing these good rules, you came to the auditions with only one BEST song written by you.

Your strategy would be: "This is my best song, it will work, it will win me the award. The judges will listen to it and fall in love with it, and it will help me trump every other competitor. I have the BEST song, therefore there is no need to worry." Why do you feel overconfident? Because it is the best song! It is YOUR best song.

Unbeknownst to you, there is someone else thinking the same way as you are but they have their other three "BEST" songs.

What they are doing is this: they are imagining, "If the judges won't like this first BEST song of mine, I'll unleash my other BEST song; and if they won't think the second one is worth their ears, I'll still point them towards my other BEST song." If your competitor's BEST songs are in different genres and with different strengths in composition and lyricism, you're finished. They'll win, and you'll fail. Why will they win? Because they will be thinking about "BESTNESS" with regard to the judges, not themselves!

Back to the point though...

Now, imagine a situation where the judges listen to your one BEST song (which will actually happen if every other competitor was as well prepared as you were) and after they're undecided, they chose to ask you for a second song: "Hey! Do you have any other song you've written apart from this one?" Guess what you will tell them... Nonsense. You'll tell them nonsense.

You'll end up as the runners-up (or not, depending on the competition), not because you are a bad song writer but because you're a poor strategist. You thought your one song was enough, but your competitor came in with more tools to win. It was a do-or-die for them, it wasn't for you. So when they unleash their second song, you'll be wishing you had a "drawing board" to go back to. But you wouldn't be having any. Why? Because your drawing board was your strategy - you had already utilized its significance. Your one song was your do-or-die strategy.

This simply means this: whenever you have an opportunity to compete, don't EVER undermine your opponent. You'd be better be ruthless at wanting something than play around with wanting it then lose it in the end. You'd better be prepared for the worst, and the best may just end up smiling at you; than thinking that you are the best only to realize that the best is actually better and smarter than you in many ways.

I hope you learn this whenever you fail: that two arrows are always better than one. The second arrow enables you to eat your failure-feed with pints of salt.

End Note: The only place where our strategy and our drawing board are allowed to be the same is in our relationships and when dealing with God.

Bonface Morris.

Personal Growth: Open-mindedness

Open-mindedness

"I just don't like them, so I'll have nothing to do with them!" is one statement we hear often.

It is mostly put across by a person who wants everyone else around them to live and figure out life the way they do and the disgust is usually due to a difference in opinion, taste or preference... But what such a person rarely sits down to consider is this: do they think that they too are LIKEABLE by everyone else? Really? 

*******
I love the world we live in today. Reason being that everyone has the freedom to choose what to like or not to like. That is a good thing, no? The problem only comes in when we want other people to like the same things we like in the same way we do. That brings about war because it is impossible and also unpleasant. 

The dictionary definition of open-mindedness is "an inclination to tolerate or overlook opposing or shocking opinions or behavior" (WordWeb Dictionary.) And I'll take the old definition of tolerance which is the willingness to recognize and respect the beliefs and practices of others as my guide-stick of the type of tolerance I'll be talking about. Please note that the kind of tolerance I'll be favoring in this post is not the postmodern one that "accepts, favors or supports ALL the beliefs and practices from other people without question" but one that "recognizes and respects those beliefs and practices." Notice the difference.

Okay, let's move on...

Each one of us has met (or has been) the person with reactions like the one in the first paragraph above: someone who only sees what is wrong in everything and everyone else. They think the world revolves around them and unless something is done their way or an opinion favors their own, everything else is bad and unworthy. They always think they are God. Well, if they were God, I would have no trouble accepting their world view, but they are not. (Anyway, even God is very much open-minded - we see it in the person of Jesus Christ as He walked this world.) Such people make very poor company. They are the kind of friends you won't what to introduce to your other friends who look at life from a very different angle. They are mostly what I call "mtu-wa-rafiki-mmoja" (the one-friend person) because it may be that only this friend tolerates their nonsense. They tolerate nothing/no-one out of their normalcy and only see things at face value. They aren't flexible and are therefore very domineering.

Now, here are the few things such people do (can we just call them, for the sake of this post, closed-minded people?);
1. First impressions are EVERYTHING to them.
Once someone flops the first time they meet them, they will ALWAYS be losers. End of the story.

2. They don't offer second chances.
They stink of perfectionism: there should be no error, no jokes, no nonsense... and people are always judged according to who they were 10 years ago. Either that, or not; end of the story.

3. They can't have fun for the sake of having fun (PS: I'm talking about good, responsible fun by the way). 
Their idea of having fun has to go all the way to: who will I be with? what kind of fun is it? where is the fun at? and why should I have fun at all? If whatever is proposed is outside what they want, they're out. End of the story. 

4. They make judgments and draw conclusions at face value.
They rarely research or inquire in order to understand people more nor do they take time to see the world from a different perspective. They lack respect for anyone who is not in their class (socio-economically, spiritually, fundamentally or age-wise.)

5. They are indifferent and rigid to change.
Change terrifies them because they love their comfort zones. New ideas terrify them because they tend to live in the past - in their "perfect" pasts.

6. They refuse correction and a second opposing opinion on almost everything.
They always want to have the upper hand in all decisions and discussions and would even leave a discussion just because people aren't in sync with how they feel/think about the subject of discussion.

7. They are narrow-minded, are obsessed with "reading people" and are continuous victims of negative automatic thoughts. Read more on automatic thoughts here. 
Explaining what they are in detail may actually require me to write another blog, but in short, they are spontaneous thoughts and opinions on things and people around you.

Well, people with the characteristics listed above (and the ones above are just a tip of the iceberg) tend to make life unbearable for others and themselves. This is revealed in the following ways;

1. How they talk to and interact with people
Open-minded people will tend to have a greater variety of friends from all kinds of classes and upbringings, less enemies and more freedom to opinion and view on life; on the other hand, closed-minded people lack the above attributes and tend to be legalistic, domineering and judgmental.

2. How people see them, interact with them and talk to them
The way we understand what people are saying like in the use of the "f" and "s" words and any other cuss words has really changed in this millennial/postmodern period. Most words no longer mean whatever they originally used to mean. Closed-minded people tend to be quite intolerant and judgmental when they hear someone respectable use a cuss word. 

Now, considering that we have seen a few things closed-minded people do and how they feel about the world around them, why not list a few characteristics of open-minded people? 
Here they are;

1. They try not generalize and see people as "a whole" but as individuals with unique choices, values and perspectives i.e. a person from a specific tribe will be handled as an individual and separate from their tribal affiliation and stereotypes.

2. They try to give people a second chance and treat them beyond reasonable doubt as individuals who can change. 
They give them the benefit of the doubt. They refuse to see and judge people according to their pasts. Open-minded people tend to say this: "I know who you were and who you are right now. I'll listen to you, I'll hear you out."

3. They refuse to think that they are gods or that they are immune to the things affecting these other people. 
They don't normalize sin, but they see themselves through the eyes of the sinner: needing forgiveness and restoration. They see pregnancies before marriage differently, they see Willy Paul, Bahati and Kanyari differently, they see Al-Shabaab and ISIS differently, they see the collaboration between Gospel artists and secular artists in any work of art or science differently... It's a whole list, guys.

4. They are learning how to see people as God sees them, thus no prejudice: that people are broken, needy (in need of a Savior) and subject to change. This's how the Lord saw the Apostle Paul and redeemed him.

5. They try to be less judgmental but more appreciating; and they accept that anyone can be used of God and become anything for His glory. They try not to draw lines or boundaries pertaining people, God's grace and His limitless favor (like the Pharisees did in Jesus' time). They try to ask questions before they pass judgement. Read on how Jesus was open-minded here in two separate stories from Mark 2:13-22 (NIV).

6. They correct the errors in their societies after getting the facts right, and don't seem judgmental while doing so.They correct with love and kindness. They do so without compromising on their beliefs and values. They don't condone bad behavior, but they seek to understand why it exists and how best it can be changed. Click and read this article that can be helpful in showing us on how to balance between speaking the truth and loving other people and this one on how to disagree without becoming enemies with someone.

You now notice and understand that it is a good and healthy thing to be open-minded because it helps us in three ways; in our relationship with our own selves, in our relationships with others and in our relationship with God.

I'll therefore show us a few ways on how to cultivate a nature of open-mindedness. Here they are;

1. Pray that you'll start seeing people as individuals with different personalities and as separate entities.
People are different, so capitalize on that.

2. Strive to always see the best in people, not the worst in them.

3. Give more good compliments on the good you see, advice on the areas that you notice need improvement and offer less criticism on the bad you see.

4. Pray that you'll start seeing people for who they are and who they can possibly become instead of who they were and what they are perceived to be.

5. Don't allow the enemy to feast at your table.

This is what it means: don't allow bad unverified thoughts concerning people to crowd your mind. I grabbed this one from a sermon by Louie Giglio, pastor of Passion City Church, which he preached recently at Elevation Church's Code Orange Revival. You can directly download and listen to the whole audio sermon here or get the whole database of sermons from Elevation Church here.


6. Practice the good habit of weighing every gossip, speculation and rumor with facts. Do it first with the Word of God (the Bereans did that as reported in the book of Acts 17:11  - and that is why they were called a people of noble character) and then with available facts (do some basic research on people, someone or something before making conclusions.) Things are not always what they seem.

Here is the conclusion of the matter:
You don't have to like everyone or everything, but you really have to get along with everyone and everything. That is life, so make the choice.

And...
Quote: Do not be so open-minded that your brains fall out. - G K Chesterton. 

Read this article on prayers some too open-minded and unwise guy offered to Allah recently at church's general assembly plenary session in USA to see exactly what Chesterton meant in that quote.

See you later.

Bonface Morris.

Temptations and How to Overcome Them

Every devoted Christian has been tempted or will be tempted in the near future or at some point or another in their life. That's the truth of the matter. I hear that even non-Christians are tempted too (but you'll have to read on and see what I have to say about that.) To what degree and for what reason we are tempted, I don't know (only God and the devil know.) All I know is that Christians are tempted by the devil so that he may make them fall from the gracious glory of our God and the eternal hope that is in our Lord Jesus Christ.

This post is somehow for new born Christians who want to understand how temptations work on this side of life and it somehow (the post) attempts to show us how we can overcome them. It may also prove useful to many of us who've never understood this whole temptation thing. I'll use questions in order to easily guide us in understanding a few things about temptation.

So, here goes...

*******
What is a temptation?
A temptation is something that seduces or has the ability to seduce someone towards sin.

Are temptations normal, are they necessary, and are they to be enjoyed?
Yes, temptations are normal to everyone; Christian and non-Christian alike. And they are necessary because;
1. They help in testing our faith and thereafter in spiritual growth: unless the devil tempts and tests our faith in God and what we believe in, it would be impossible to tell if we are growing or are still stuck in the same place.
2. They help in revealing who we truly are: strong or weak, Christian or non-Christian, hypocrite or true child of God, whether we are of God or of the devil.
3. They help to either reveal the fruit of the Holy Spirit in us (Galatians 5:22-23) or the fruit of the evil spirit (power of the devil working through our sinful nature) in us.
There is nothing wrong with being tempted, but there is everything wrong with falling into temptation (sinning.)

Note: Sometimes suffering comes to Christians as a temptation and other times as a test. Normally, there is nothing to be enjoyed when being tempted, but it later produces a better you whenever you overcome it. The apostles Paul and Peter say the following about temptation (in this context, temptation and suffering being the same thing);Paul says this in Romans 8:18 (ESV) "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."And Peter says this in 1 Peter 3:14 (ESV) "But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled."

How are Christians tempted and how is it different from non-Christians?
The devil tempts Christians (like he did to Christ Jesus in Matthew 4) in order to deviate him from God's original plan for their life. Thus temptations always seek to make the Christian fall (leave God and forsake what the Christian had earlier believed about God.)
I wouldn't say that non-Christians are tempted because that is their nature and introducing sin into their lives is simply making them worse than they already are. I would say the devil uses sin against the non-Christian in order to stamp his ownership on him/her.

Who tempts Christians? God, the devil or themselves?
The devil tempts Christians.
He does this with the assistance of the sin that lives in the person being tempted.
The apostle James puts it this way in the Book of James;
James 1:13-15 (ESV) 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
Here is the unique thing we should note about God, the devil, sin, temptations and tests: temptations are from the devil and they rely on the sin that is left growing in us. They lead to sin and death. Tests are from God and they lead to a deeper understanding and relationship with God. Sometimes (and it is most times actually), God uses the devil's temptations in our lives to grow us in faith, love and in a deeper understanding of who He is.
The Book of Job says this about the nature of God and temptations (this was an answer to Job and his friends who thought that God is evil and tempts people);
Job 34:10, 12 (NKJV) 10 "Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: Far be it from God to do wickedness, And from the Almighty to commit iniquity. 12 Surely God will never do wickedly, Nor will the Almighty pervert justice.
Also, when you look at the definition of temptation as stated above, it is impossible for God to tempt us. It is unimaginable for a holy God to "do something that seduces someone towards sin or to seduce someone towards sin." It is unimaginable for God to do that.

Which are the three key areas where every devoted Christian will be tempted?
Looking at Matthew 4, we realize three key areas;
1. We will be tempted by the devil to misuse God's Word for personal gratification.
Verse: Matthew 4:3 (ESV) "And the tempter came and said to Him, 'If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.'"
2. We will be tempted by the devil to doubt God and His promises to us, and will be persuaded by the enemy to neglect God's way and follow quick fixes. These temptations seek to sieve through our faith, our sonship in God, and what we know about God and His character.
Verse: Matthew 4:6 (ESV) "...and said to Him, 'If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"
3. We will be tempted by the devil in our priorities and what we value most and hold dear above everything else:
Verse: Matthew 4:9 (ESV) "And he said to Him, 'All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.'"
Almost all temptations fall into these three categories.

What should we do when tempted?
The way we overcome every temptation thrown at us differs because of a few reasons;
1. Our levels of spiritual growth (which determines our understanding of God, the devil, sin, evil and righteousness.)
2. The sin that easily puts us down. This sin is different for everyone. The Book of Hebrews calls it "sin that clings so closely" (Hebrews 12:1).
3. Our closeness to God.
But we should take heart because this is what the Lord has said about us when being tempted;
1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV) "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."
As we strive to overcome temptation, we should always know that God knows about it (what we are facing) and that by His Holy Spirit, we will always overcome. He does not delight in us falling under temptation.

Here is what we can do when being tempted;
By the means of the Holy Spirit, a Christian can understand the form or kind of temptation thrown at them and the same Spirit will help them deal with each one as it deems right and overcome it;
1. There are temptations that call for fleeing, so we'll need to run away when facing them i.e. sexual sin, gossip etc. There is normally no negotiations with such sins.
Verse: 2 Timothy 2:22 (NKJV) "Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
2. There are temptations that call for resistance i.e. when being persuaded by friends to do something evil or when being persuaded to forsake the truth you have believed.
Verse: 1 Peter 5:9 (NKJV) "Resist him (the devil), steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world."
3. There are temptations that call for warfare i.e. demonic attacks and temptations inspired or fueled by words.
Verse: 
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (ESV) 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
In Ephesians 6:10-20, the apostle Paul lists the weapons we use in this warfare. (Click the link to read the Bible passage.)
4. There are temptations that call for mercy and bearing with one another.
Verses:
Ephesians 4:1-3 (ESV) 1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Jude 1:22-23 (ESV) 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

Above all, pray, seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit and apply God's Word in every case. The writer of the book of Revelation says that this is how we overcome the devil; "...they triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of their testimony... (Revelation 12:11, NIV.)

For how long do temptations last?
It is different for everyone. But here is what we should consider; 
1. All Christians will experience various temptations throughout their spiritual lives whether they like it or not, because they are now permanent enemies of the devil. 
2. Some temptations will last longer than others depending on if we fight well through the temptation and overcame the devil, or if God feels we have learned the lesson that came with the temptation. 
3. Some temptations are likely not to end (like take Paul's example when he says in 2 Corinthians 12 that... "...and lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me..." (2 Corinthians 12:7-9, NKJV).
It therefore requires discernment from our part as enabled by God's Spirit to know which type of temptation we are facing right now and how long it may last.

Are there rewards for overcoming temptation?
Yes.
Here are direct promises from our Lord Himself from the Book of Revelation directed to the various people who will overcome various temptations:

Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26-28 (ESV)
7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’
11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’
17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’
26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star.

Revelation 3:5, 12, 21 (ESV)
5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.
12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.
21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

The apostle James also promises this very thing >
James 1:12 (ESV) "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."

*******
Stay blessed... and may the Lord keep us all away from temptation and deliver us from the evil one. And if tempted, may we overcome so that we may receive His reward both here on earth and when we meet with Him on His second coming.


Bonface Morris.