This Is What I Miss

I miss the many days in the past

When I would trip and hobble in the alleys of life
Without being scared of black cats and stray dogs

When laughter was still laughter and the blemish of lips had not been birthed

When oysters still lived on the land and we all played with seashells

And would jump about in oblivion and unlimited bliss

And walking on the beach that was life was such a clueless task

For the moon strolled clumsily in the night, and the sun called in the day beautifully

And I would wake up and care less about the next day…

I miss the days of being young, young and a child

When candy still cost a penny, and I wore Reeboks, yes, my tiny Reeboks

I miss my favourite shorts – I still remember them – all green and sundry

Shorts that I wore and imagined that I was in the marine

And we would play hide-and-seek with “guns” and get tired and run home for lunch

I miss wearing my favourite T-shirt – I still remember it – stripped and all

And my mom yelling at me for wearing these three in a row

And hiding them, and me getting them, and me wearing them again, until they tore…

I miss wonder, and mystery, and rolls of thunder in the rainy season

I miss thinking that the clouds in the coming storm were an indication of the  end of the world

I miss staring at those clouds, scared, but being held by hand by my dad

And him telling me, “Come on, it is just the rains, senior…”

I miss that nickname too (Senior)

I miss walking to church with my siblings, hand in hand

While at the back of my mind knowing that I am all worriless and safe

I miss the stories we told, the nicknames we gave people, the sunny days and the rainy ones

I miss our family stories that no one could understand but only us

I miss having pride in the fact that we had nicknames for all our family friends…

I miss missing my mom and we waiting into the depths of the night,

Waiting with my siblings for her to come back home – with stuff from the other country

I miss crying out to her, telling her I missed her

I miss the feeling of hearing her voice, and the tenderness, and the shoots of peace

I miss so many things…

I miss the jokes we made about everything

I miss the strolls of my teenage days – with my sisters

Damn, I miss those memories, and the taste of a laughing family

I miss those days when they would tell me nothing of their kids and husbands as they do today

When all we could do is cook, eat, listen to music and call it a day

I miss their old selves when they were still who they were

I miss their innocence and lack of busyness

I miss our little fights, and the lovehatric moments, and laughter

O, how I miss those days!

I miss the days of lilies, lilies in their frailty

And smiles that were not forced, and sincerity and that was not charmed

The days when fires brought warmth and not froth nor pain

And colors were defined in the lives of men because such lives were not practiced,

And life-skies that were neither gloomy nor disturbed,

I miss the tranquil life and the way time hovered around us so beautifully

And how everybody cared, and how everyone felt cared for…

But I never wish that they would come back

I never wish that the tiniest of those sweet moments would resurrect

I only wish that I would create more, that God would create more for us

And teach us to number our days

And to enjoy the now, and the then He gives us -

To enjoy it so much that we’ll write about it when we are old enough to write about such things…

I do love the memories, but my present is not buried in them

And now all I miss is a people who know that today is more of a gift than yesterday

And that we can only make a better tomorrow today…

Yes, for now, this is what I miss.

Bonface Morris.

"Boom!"

"She is too preoccupied with nonsense! She says that she is busy? Busy my foot! She even doesn't seem interested in solving anything, but keeps on giving excuses as to why we can't talk about this right now. I needed this to be solved kinda yesterday, but she is just so... Muh! It is like no one was wronged in the first place. I think she cares less about how I feel or the condition of this relationship..." fumed *Arm.

"What? Did he just say that? I don't like his approach on conflict resolution. He is too hasty. Can't I just have some "me time" to think about issues before tackling them? He is already drawing conclusions about me and how I feel about us without even getting my side of the story. Is that how he REALLY feels about me? Why is he treating me this way? What has become of him? Why is he so different from the man I met a few years ago?" ranted *Betty.

Boom! came the hulls. I was caught on the edge there, in the middle of crossfire (or bombfire?). I stared. I stared for a very long time. I stared into my own self before saying anything, that is, if I had to be saying anything at all. I mean, what was I to say? Huh? I am not that bombproof, or am I?
Listening to both sides of a story, and to ramp in some kind of stammered colloquium, a relationship story, gives you some kind of plastic chance of getting around it. However, no matter how volatile my evens were becoming after staring into myself, I think that it is always better that way (to listen to two "unsyncing" halves of a story) than dealing with "half the information." A half of anything, I have been told several times and in different contexts, is never enough...

What *Arm and *Betty have is typical of a modern love relationship... One with its own unique twists and turns, rights and wrongs, and strings and bows... One full of people throwing grenades and shooting from all sides... Throwing and shooting things you would never imagine they would... Just a typical love relationship... Just one normal, modern relationship.

But first, let me help you understand these two (Arm and Betty);

Arm is in his late twenties. A saved young man that loves the Lord, but one who just can't take any "douchy stuff" from anyone - not even from his lovely girlfriend.
You got me right, he is one guy who doesn't bow to weakness. That's his tale and his fate, and he is proud of it. After knowing him for a while, I should say that he is a gentleman in his own right. He met her (Betty) some few years ago and the two have a story I can't go into today. What is important is that they DID meet, and they now DO have a story - a biiiiig story.

*Betty on the other hand is one lady who leaves a mark wherever she goes. She has this countenance, well,
she carries this countenance that you don't find in every lady around. She rubs it on you when you meet her. You get it, right? When a LADY rubs her countenance on you? A great lady-like countenance? Yeah, that one.
I can say she undoubtedly fits in a group of ladies I call "proverbial", as in, worthy to be written and talked about... I only know very few ladies who belong there...
Betty just hit 24 the other month, and she is unashamedly saved and as charming as ever. Well, don't ask me how I know her age, because it is none of your business... It'll be like asking a hen why it lays eggs - it has no clue why...

Anyway, I've known her for a while, and not just knowing, as in "know", but I've known her long enough to tell Arm a thing or two about her: that she too doesn't feed on nonsense. She loves the Lord yeah, but she doesn't tolerate crap. So if Arm is to get glued to her, he really needs to know her game and how she plays it: it is either she owns the game or she doesn't play it at all. It's that simple.

Now that I was caught in their crossfire (or bombfire to suit this case), I had to know that I was dealing with a very delicate issue of reconciling two people I have been, and I am still very proud of. People I believe in. People I behold as changers of this generation as far as Christianity, love, relationships and marriage are concerned. People who are my role models and my friends too...
It came to me at that moment that the toughest part of friendship is trying to advice your mentor. O, there is nothing as tough as that! Guiding your teacher is like instructing God. I mean, where do you start? Where are you supposed to begin? How do you tell someone who's taught you about right and wrong that, "Man this is right, and er, that is wrong?" Tough. Really tough.
But here I was caught in telling them stuff like this;

1. Seriously guys, I was not expecting this from you. How did it come to all this? You tearing yourselves apart? Really? Is that all you can do?
2. So now I am supposed to teach you how to love one another? Me? Teaching you guys? Hah! This is a joke. Just get over it meeeeen!
3. You are my role models, guys! My role models when it comes to things to do with salvation, living upright and relationships. As in, what will I tell other guys about sticking to each other through thick and thin in relationships? Huh? Who will I point them to? Come on!

And so forth and so on...
But after shockwaving through my mind and all the pieces of "sound wisdom" I have acquired over time, I decided to do otherwise. I came to understand something: no one, yes, no one in a relationship anywhere on this earth is ever able to fully agree with their partner kinda 100 out of a 100 times they mingle. We are all going to disagree somewhere. We are all going to fail and betray our own values, the very ones we advocate for everyday. And after that has happened, things are gonna fall apart, so that we may learn the best way to pick up the pieces: to learn how to pick them up beforehand. Yes, it's gonna be "boom, here goes the blast!" at some point, but, but we need to work it around. Those friends closest to us should motivate us into bringing the pieces together...
They can do it in various ways, including understanding that;

1. Everyone is vulnerable to a fall (or a failure) no matter how strongly founded their lives are (both in Christianity and in other things in life.) Being dismissive of their failures without offering help is stupid. We need to help. We need to help because this is our Christian call. From whatever angle the "boom!" may come, we still need to help.
2. Everybody needs mentoring at some point, no matter how many people have been admonished by their instruction. Everyone is a child at some point and they at that moment, just need to be treated as kids for them to coil around and "get" the applicability of the truths they have been teaching to people for ages. The "strong" need guidance and direction too!
3. Everyone needs prayer, and as Hillsong sings, "Everyone needs compassion...", everyone, and mostly, these "strong and wise people" we see (including myself, your leader and your Pastor), need our direction in the very things they already know. They need our support. They are not know-it-alls. It is we who think that it is always alright with them, but you know what? We are mostly wrong. They need us so much at some point.
4. The tiniest of things are the ones that break the greatest of relationships. Nothing should be left pending as far as disagreement is concerned. I betcha, nothing. So, a friend should tell a friend, and tell a friend to tell a friend that nothing, yes, nothing should be left hanging as far as unity in relationships is concerned. If one is grieved, both should be concerned. If one is glad, both should be elevated.

So what did I tell Arm and Betty? My two friends? I told them all there is to be told that makes sense as far as their relationship was concerned... I told them... Oh well, let's talk about this some other day...

*The names used in this blog (*Arm and *Betty) do not belong to any specific or known person(s), but if they do, let's bless that animal called coincidence. :-)

Side note: This is an excerpt from my Christian fiction book you'll know about soon... and "soon", my dearest friends, can be ages... :-)

Bonface Morris.

Integrity 101

There are a few things I have learned as an upcoming writer (or whatever title you may want to give me or have already given me) that I always think are important to note before making you want to read a post like this one;

1. I may not always write what I want but wherever my pen leads me, I obediently follow - FYI, this is the crunch of all kinds of writing.
2. There is no universally acceptable truth, but if I have to say anything [at all], it must be truth; and in such a case, this truth I write, this absolute truth, is still truth whether it is acceptable or not.
3. You are not subject to my opinion of "things" nor to my piece of "unkempt advice" but to the truth thereof, if there be, of God.

Now, because I want to go straight to the point, there are are a few things I've noted of late, things about integrity, things interesting enough to summarize in the next few lines.
These lines represent my views on how to build personal integrity.
First things first though: www.thefreedictionary.com defines integrity as "a steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code" or "the state of being unimpaired; soundness" or "the quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness."
Well, because I know that this virtue (integrity) applies to everyone worthy his/her salt, it is of considerable importance to consider the following;

1. Learning to obey authority (any authority in place) even when you think yourself better than that authority leaves you on the better side even at moments when you are inclined to criticize such authority. Integrity uses wisdom while delivering a critique, not strife.
2. Consistency is greater than passion. You can never be passionate enough without being consistent. Learn to be consistent and everyone will paint you as passionate.
3. Integrity has never been the measure of what we have but who we are to God and to men. Integrity does not belong to an individual but to the masses.
4. Words and actions add up to something. They add up to who WE KNOW you are. They accompany your integrity wherever you go.
5. It is humiliating and humbling to do the least of tasks and love the most lowly people, but that is where the mark of greatness belongs.
6. You can't please everyone. You should not impress everybody. All great people have that as an anthem they sing all day long.
7. There is no perfect leadership under the sky. You earn integrity by appreciating who your leaders are and praying for them, but not by ridiculing them - no matter how bad or weird they may be.
8. Stop making gods out of people. Flesh and blood is not worthy the salt of your utmost reverence. Integrity learns to avoid the path of the praises of men. It knows of its honey and its hyssop.
9. The way we value and serve the people around us determines their level of respect and service towards us, and if we'll impart something into their lives or not. Integrity is the measure of our relationships, their relevance and their quality.
10. You are not the ultimate, God is. Stop wanting people to accept all you say and do because that is the place of God. Integrity is accepting that people all over the world see things differently (like I'm going to do after you've read this), getting used to it and moving on.
11. Your identity, if it has anything good hidden in it, has nothing to do with your level of education, where you work, how much you earn, your wealth or your family background. It has everything to do with where you belong in the hearts of men and in the face of God.
12. You attract people more with your smile and your heart. Such beauty is imperishable.
13. Comparing yourself to everyone else around you only leaves you miserable and ungrateful. Integrity is built on contentment and hopefulness, but not on conceit and envy.
14. Listen more. Understand a little more. Be the child as far as instruction is concerned.
15. The most honored person is that one who has learned obedience and adherence to a law, and even better, to an enduring/undying law.
16. Do what you gotta do; if it is right, the better.
17. Spiritual integrity has no share in knowing too much Scripture but in being the doer. Greater is the man who has known one law and follows it than the other who knows ten that are only served through his mouth and mind.
18. Abstinence from sex and setting standards before marriage may not be fashionable nor sell well with 90% of the modern world, but it accounts for above 50% of our integrity as young people.
19. Being sorry for your bad actions, being faithful and honest and speaking the truth may not sell well today but they make you someone we can trust.
20. Integrity learns that nothing is made perfect without the power of many mistakes.
21. Integrity discusses issues and addresses complaints. It does not pretend that everything is okay when it is not.

There you have it.

I hope that you are, just like I am, working on achieving your best, and will never give up until you are there...

Bonface Morris.

Do Not Come Alone!

More often than not, a question pops in my mind: "Do I really do the things I do in the manner that they should be done when it comes to worship and leading worship?" "Do I follow the right steps and the prompting of the Holy Spirit in order to have the right impact on the audience I am serving?” “Am I too apt or too exotic?”

I do ask myself such questions because, first, most of the time, I am concerned about how I lead worship; and second, it is because this is what happens to every worship leader or singer out there (or anyone interacting with the public from time to time). We always feel insufficient on how we deliver whatever we are assigned to deliver.
Last Sunday, I was privileged to visit a certain church in a remote area some few kilometres from where I stay, and good enough, with it came the opportunity to finish writing this blog post that I had started writing a few months back but still needed “enough inspiration”.
Just the day before Sunday, I had been talking to a friend of mine about something I call “the music style of a church or a congregation.” I was telling him that it is not possible for all church congregations to have the same music style. (Music style in this case being the way a worship team within a congregation sings, the type(s) of songs they sing (whether English or vernacular or Swahili or local contemporary or hymnals or African or songs with an Afro fusion), the musical instruments they use in worship, their number of singers, song arrangement, the way they involve the congregation in worship or dancing etc).
This came about after realizing that my church (after being here for a while) has a certain music style ardently followed by the members, and although I know that most of us are in limbo of its reign upon us, it is a reality we can’t evade. The truth is that only certain songs sang in a certain manner blend well with us. (This is not to mean that we can’t sing “other types of songs” or “other types of songs in another kind of way”, but that singing them would complicate the whole issue that I am addressing in this post.)
It therefore means that any kind of creativity being introduced in my church will still have to flirt with the baseline that is its music style. Only then will any new songs being introduced be “acceptable” by at least 90% of its members. This “music style” depicts what songs and how songs are sang in our church, and also if these songs can still be needed (be on demand) or liked whenever we come to worship in singing.

Now, back to talking about my visit to that small church…
There are a few things I learned in the worship sessions from that small congregation;

a)      The originality with which they sing their songs

b)     The coherence and unison in their “music style” – how well the members pick up a song right after the first line is sang

c)      The passion both in the worship leader and the congregation while engaging in worship

I learned that they are these “tiny” things in life that possess the greatest lessons we can ever learn. You don’t need “big congregations” or “thunderous voices” or “award-winning Gospel artists” (although they are all good in serving one purpose or another) in order to learn a lesson or two about worship. No, you just need your sensitivity to the voice of God.
Of course this church did music in a way that my church never does. In fact, I didn’t even understand or blend well with some of their songs and dancing, but you know what? they made me like it – they moved me within them until I was able to be like them - so I sang and danced along to what I didn’t even understand! And did it really matter that I did not understand what they were singing or their dancing styles? Or that their music style was “out of place”? I don’t think so. The worship leaders were achieving their goal: taking the congregation to their Father and their Maker – that is all that mattered! They didn’t go before the throne of God alone! No, they didn’t…
With the few lessons I learnt above, I realize that  role of a worship leader – whether they belong to the biggest or the smallest congregation in this world – is to lead people to God. The worship leader should achieve, at least in one moment of worship, the task of taking people to God. He/she should never go to God alone. After all has been said and done, God will still be sitting on His throne waiting to see the worship leader bring His people home - that is a worship leader’s responsibility.
There are a few things that may warp this great commission though;

a)    Lack of good communication or linkage between the worship leader and the congregation -  I am always of the opinion that if the worship leader realizes that the people in the congregation need him/her to be social with them and freed-up, interaction with these church members during or before worship, or yet still outside the confines of the church should be made more of a priority than a option. A cat can’t lead dogs to war nor can a horse race with donkeys. The results will be utter prejudice. If the worship leader is stuck “into his/her own world” from which they don’t want to get out of, how do you expect it to be a simple task, that one of holding people’s hands and leading them to their Father? If he/she can’t meet them where they are, taking them to where he/she wants them to go will be the hardest thing to do on this earth. He/she needs first to move with them at their pace, understanding them and tolerating them, and then pull them up to the unknown. They should start from the known to the unknown. Connecting with people before connecting them with God is the greatest thing a worship leader can ever do in the way of achieving the goal of not going to God alone, and it is the most basic thing every worship leader should ever understand.

b)    The viral desire to become like every other famous/modern church you know – most campus students (and mostly those who come from the countryside) will confess that the type of fellowship (or cherch, as many will put it) they have at campus overrides what they experience when they go back home during the holidays. This is also true with most people living in towns and cities when they go back home to these “small churches”. In such circumstances, or to the worship leader who happens to experience “another level of worship” in other churches, wisdom should be practised when wanting to change a few things in these “remote congregations” when they go back to them. Yes, it is not easy to change a church’s music style overnight and it may not even be possible, but it is important to be keen on the following things:

-      God’s timing - everything needs the intervention of God. Everything. Never override God’s intentions for your worship team by replacing them with your own selfish desires. Pray before commencing to effect any desired change in activities. Seek Him first. Let this always take centre stage, so that even if it fails (and it doesn’t have to), you will still be confident that it was of God, and that He had your back.

-      A church’s teachability - does your church take long to learn new stuff? What about the members of your worship team? Are they able to sing songs in the music style you are introducing? This will determine “how much change they can receive and tolerate” before it blows into your face.

-      Taking risks - Yes, it may not be possible for these people to adopt a new way of doing things, but you also need to learn to take risks. Introduce these new things in bits, ensuring that neither the worship team nor the congregation is overwhelmed by what you are bringing in. Remember that maintaining the status quo won’t lift you to a new level of worship, so always dare to do things differently even if it may not be mutually accepted by all.

My parting shot: always, as a worship leader, as you consider what I’ve said above, never ever go to God alone… because even right now, somewhere within me, I can still hear Him whispering to us, "The next time you come, boy/girl, don't come alone!"


Bonface Morris.

The New Me

I need a brand new me
Yes, I need him because I am tired of this normal me
I am tired of the "usual" and "common" me
I need a new me, a brand new me
I need him so much that I dare write about him;
A me that is different, and wiser, and more intuitive, and abnormal,
A me that husks from berries, and fetches pints and pints of salt
Yes, this me, this one, I will write about

I need this me, this brand new me so bad
I need him so much that I'll climb all the mountains there are to reach him
And I will walk all the journeys there are, and all there is...
I need him to come and swallow up this other me...
And before he is done, I want him to teach me some few things, to teach me to become this kind of me:
A me that does not cuss, nor lie, nor quarrel
A me that does not judge people according to their flaws, nor discriminate, nor pamper prejudice
A me that seranades and passionately totters compassion
A me that is polite, and humble and true, but a lil rugged
Yes, before he is done, I wanna be like him...

Then after he has taught me, and directed me and my obedience has been tested,
After I have withered in his strokes and I am dead,
Then I shall not be anymore,
And I shall have pardoned my shameful paddling, and seamlessly grasped a few, no, all of his mannerisms...
Then as a toddler I will barge from these old soils, stretching my arm, seeking guidance
Murmuring a new tongue and eating a new language...
And clutching at pots and spoons, bread and corn meals and bones that will be food of my new aboard
And I shall be confounded by my growth...

Then patience will not be a lake, nor will hungering and thirsting for Him who created me be a river,
After I am done learning from this new me, the throne of Him who made me will be my dwelling place,
And talking to Him will be my eternal pleasure...
O that this me will come!
That I may hide no more the fires flaming within my soul!!
O that I may eat of no earthy cuisines and drink of no blemish!

But he is not far away from me, this one, no, he is not
This brand new me is right here with me
If only I can lean deeper within,
If only I can stop running and chasing him around,
I can bring him to life
Yes, I can bring him to life from right where I am...

And so as I seek to get to that me, I am wanting to ask you,
"Have you found your 'you'?
Do you want to?"
Have you met with Jesus?
Have you known that there can never be a "you" that is better than what He forges, what He makes?
This is what He once said to Israel (Jeremiah 18:6 [NKJV]): "'O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?' says the LORD. 'Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel...!'"
And Jeremiah had been sent to see how He so dearly wants to make us over, to make brand new "us"
And I've found out that if I want to meet the brand new me I so much desire to meet,
I'll need to meet with Him (Jesus) first, and meet Him often
And I think the same of you too...
Go meet with Him (Jesus)
Allow Him to make out of you a brand new you
I'll be doing the same - giving out myself to the new me...
Then after He has made us over, come on and let's change the world together... by Him.

Bonface Morris.

Just for Laughs: My Exclusive #MwanaumeNi & #MwanamkeNi Lines

Guys, I digressed. The blog post I had started writing two days ago just disappeared. Yeah, it DID disappear. How? Oh well, I don't know... I'm having memory lapses of late, some kind of schizophrenic ish ish... hah! Blame me already. Anyway, I'll take your cussing as a compliment...

And by the way, just because I love writing, it doesn't mean that I have to go to bed at 4.00am just to meet my self-imposed date-lines, ama? Naaaah. I don't think so. And remember that I'm just a Kenyan. I'm part of this breed that has perfected the act of apologizing and moving on. So, let me do just that: I'm sorry if you checked in expecting a new post but found nothing. Am I now forgiven?

Let's move on...

Now, because I feel yippeeish today, Imma do this blog post "just for laughs." Yes, you gat me right: just for laughs.
It is good to laugh sometimes, mostly when you are alone and for no good reason. It may sound stupid, but it is always self-relieving. Try it sometime: the more you laugh at nothing at all, is the more you'll laugh at yourself for being so stupid that you laugh at "nothing at all..."
And it will go on and on: "Did I just laugh at nothing?", you'll look around and ask yourself, then after looking around one more time and realizing that no-one is watching or listening in, you'll give yourself another blaaaaast of laughter until your stomach will hurt or until you knock down your cup of coffee... that's when you'll stop and smile, and say something like, "Oh my God! This is oooooooooooowesome!"
Yeah, that's how relieving laughter can be...

Laughter is the only world where the one living in it understands and enjoys it better than those who are not - Bonface Morris

So, below is my own list of #MwanaumeNi and #MwanamkeNi lines that may (because they don't really have to) put a smile on your face;
Wacha tuanze na #MwanaumeNi (juu yenyewe wanaume tuko na mashida, haha);

1. #MwanaumeNi kusema, "Hata jana nililala njaa" fiancée wake akiulizia dough ndo huyo fiancée amuhurumie na kumuuliza "Babez, can I lend you 1k? Will that do for now?" Kisha msee ana.nod kichwa kwa huruma na kuchukua hiyo ngiri moja, kuikunja srowry na kukaa mbele mbele... :-)
2. #MwanaumeNi kuweka photo ya ndai kali Facebook (kama ile yangu ya fb, lol) kama cover photo ndo wasee wadhanie uko na vision, kumbe hata hujui kuendesha bike. :O
3. #MwanaumeNi kushinda ume.wave mkono kwa hewa kama flag huku uki.smile yako yote ndo dem akikuuliza unasema, "Babez, I'm painting your world with love!"
4. #MwanaumeNi kutumia tu light ya TV akifika home ndo landlord asijue ako home aanze kumdai dough ya rent.
5. #MwanaumeNi kukaa chini katikati ya barabara ndo ashikwe na kanjo aende akae kwa cell the whole day kama strategy ya kuhepa kwenda job - kuna msee angemtafuta huko job amdai dough.
6. #MwanaumeNi kukunywa maji ile ya 20bob for lunch ati kuenjoy wasee ako on diet "as advised by his personal doctor."
7. #MwanaumeNi kulialia ovyo ovyo mbele ya dem ndo akiulizwa anasema, "Nalilia watenda dhambi" kisha kusema, "I am one of those emotional men..." kumbe ni njaro ya ku.avoid kuulizwaulizwa tumaswali.
8. #MwanaumeNi kuambia fiancée, "Yoh, ile siku nitaosa, utajionea tu msupa, tutaishia, er, unadhani which is the coolest place around...?" juu anajitetea vile ni.mstingy.
9. #MwanaumeNi kuweka gazeti kwa choo (ndio tissue paper yako) lakini akiulizwa anaenjoy mtu na kusema, "Aaaaah, tissue yangu iliisha jana, sijapata time ya kubuy ingine, er, hiyo gazeti huwa tu ni ya kusoma time niko hiyo 'throne room'"... haha
10. #MwanaumeNi kuwahi dem flower moja ya kutoka kwa garden on Valentines Day (juu amesota mbaya!) ndo akiulizwa na dem anasema, "Huh! Napenda vitu natural bana. Artificial things are sooo old school yoh!"
11. #MwanaumeNi kununua kabambe, story za tablets achia wagonjwa.
12. #MwanaumeNi kutopeleka mrembo anywhere, story za kupelekwa "out" achia ng'ombe na goats.
13. #MwanaumeNi ku.sip soda kama uji, story za kukunywa na straw achia wasee wa #Tujuane.
14. #MwanaumeNi ni kukosa jina, just ulizia Nameless atakushow vile kunaendaga.

Na some za #MwanamkeNi ndo hizi hapa;

1. #MwanamkeNi kuvaa slippers akiishia mtaani ndo maboys wasimkatie juu ya ya ushamba
2. #MwanamkeNi kusema "aki woishee nimeshiba, sijisikii kula, but si utanipa tu dough...?" kila akipelekwa date ndo akusanye hiyo ngiri moja per every two weeks
3. #MwanamkeNi kuweka ile weave ya kamfuko juu ya kichwa ili imwokolee ma.time ya kuhustle - acting kama place ya kuweka vitu kama eraser na for easy access ya kuweka change ya vitu ka bob bob hivi.
4. #MwanamkeNi kukaa tu ndee ili akiulizwa anajitetea na Scripture: "Mimi ni helper! Hata Bible inasema!" Seriously?
5. #MwanamkeNi (wale wamemarika na wako na watoi) kushinda ameshika mtoi ndo asifanye anything kwa hao... akiulizwa anadaisha ati "mtoto anasumbua, anataka tu kushikwa", while ukweli ni kimtoto chenyewe kimeshalala kitaaaaambo!
6. #MwanamkeNi kukuwa scandal-less,  story za mascandal achia Olivia Pope.
7. #MwanamkeNi kukula fries, tena bila soda au juo, story za "I don't do fries" achia akina Edah na Mirfat.

Hah! One thing I request of you though: don't ask me about the above, priss... :-)


Bonface Morris.

"God's Got It" Lyrics and mp3 Download - J Moss

Download the song here (mp3).

This right here is one track you can't miss out on yoh!

Song: God's Got It   
Track no: 1  
Album: V4... The Other Side  
Year: 2012 (July)  
Artist: J Moss

I woke up this morning and I told myself
Not gon' worry about what I cannot help
People dying innocently, haters spreading rapidly
I'm not talking empathy but some things God's gotta (work)  
Woah oh  
(He's gotta work) yeah ha
(He's gotta work) woah oh
(He's gotta work) yeah ha
Check it out

Chorus:
I ain't gonna worry bout' the money in the bank, (I ain't worried bout it)
I ain't gonna worry bout' the gas in the tank, (fill me up, fill me up, I ain't worried bout' it)
I ain't gonna worry bout' the things I can't control, (it is, what it is)
I ain't gonna worry bout' it, all I do is pray about it, (hold up, why?)
(God's got it...) x9

I look around and my heart's a little hithered
The money scream fast and I'm looking for a blessing
People looking for jobs, no one looking for God
I know that your hurt but in time God's really gonna (work)  
Woah oh  
(He's gotta work) yeah ha
(He's gotta work) woah-oh  
(He's gotta work) yeahah
I'm a let him do it cause...
 
Repeat chorus

Vamp:
When your loosing strength and your confidence
God's got it (God's got it) oh-ah (oh-ah)
When your money spent, can't pay the rent
God's got it (God's got it) oh-ah (oh-ah)
Oh, when a storm is passing over, don't loose your composure
God's got it (God's got it) oh-ah (oh-ah)
When your down for a while, wanna throw in the towel
God's got it (God's got it) oh-ah (oh-ah)

Chorus: 
I ain't gonna worry bout' the money in the bank, (seen it over and over again)
I ain't gonna worry bout' the gas in the tank, (I ain't gon' worry about it cause he cares for me)
I ain't gonna worry bout' the things I can't control, (His hand I'll hold)
I ain't gonna worry bout' it, all I do is pray about it, (oh oh yeah)
(God's got it...) x17

Hallelujah...
(I ain't telling you what I read, I'm telling you what I know...)

Lyrics courtesy of:  http://www.azlyrics.com



Bonface Morris.

There Is a Difference

I am sitting here again, and as usual, I'm trying to figure out life. (This chair somehow has a right to blame me, hate me or complain about so many things. I think if it had some Kenyan insticts implanted into it - blame my E. coli knowledge for this - it would give in to my weight just about now so that "it would teach me a lesson or two.")

Well, I never get to "getting it" (life), because as far as I know, this is how it rolls: "getting" life is like figuring out the universe while seated down here, right where I am - with my two big eyes and an over-curious mind. It never works. It never does. Why? The earth is out there rotating on its axis, oblivious of my existence (oh, I don't really know about that), carrying me with it, and unless I board a spaceship (some different kind of spaceship), to see it from an outer "world", "getting it" will still remain to be like some sort of video game that reprograms itself every after a few levels...

Something getting into my mind though is this: it is possible (if you frequently visit this blog) that you have read this blog post I did sometime back: "Christianity and Stoicism".
I'm on the offensive in that blog post, right? I won't defend myself. I think I did well on that one. I hit the nail on the hinge. And that's absolutely the purpose for which it was intended. I can't apologize for that.

I want to add a point to the one above though: the difference between this and that (I may not even be knowing what I am differentiating... but you'll get it along the way anyway.) :-P
You see, Christianity in the 21st Century is complicated. Okay, I bet you already know that, so let me pull it back. What if I say that Christianity today is just mud, muddy pools, flying, gardens, fields and rocks? That works, right?

Well, let's move on...

Christianity today is covered in shades of black and white: taints, pains and rains; then, reigns, gains and wins. We often taste life on both sides of the divide. Maybe that's what complicates everything. Perhaps, it's our own doing. Ask King Jesus. Ask Him. He will tell you that Christianity was never meant to be this adversarial. Never. He'll tell you that we are riding on high waters - a place where maintenance costs are froggy. We are literally running on exhumation fees, digging up and paying for what we should have left to be.

For instance, what really happens when you meet a person who is always judgmental and condemning every other person he/she meets? What of the other one who thinks that his/her denomination is "some piece of heaven"? Or yet the other one who grumbles about everything you (a saved lady/guy) do, the way you do it or the reason for which you do it? How do you deal with such a person? What do you normally think of them? An adamant reprobate? Yes?

*Flips page*

What of this other one who says that everything is right so long as it is done with thanksgiving and for the glory of God? (1 Timothy 4:4 [NKJV]: "For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving" and 1 Corinthians 10:31 [NKJV] "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.") Or his friend who thinks that he/she should not judge another's servant? (Romans 14:4 [NKJV] "Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand" and "Romans 14:10 [NKJV] "But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.") What do you think of this second one? A conventional freelance Christian? No?

There's a big difference between these two people, no matter what titles we may give them. Just consider the following;

• A Christian who understands that salvation is by grace and not works (Ephesians 3:8-9 [NKJV] "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast") does not judge or condemn the other one who seems to be overtaken (or overwhelmed) by their weaknesses. (And I'm not saying that we should not condemn sin, but that LOVE and WISDOM are key when addressing another person's shortcomings (Galatians 6:1 [NKJV] "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.").) We should all understand that we too were (or have been) in the same place these people are in, and we therefore should stop name-tagging them, but offer them acceptance just as we often need it from God.
• A discussion about holiness should never be centred upon what I am doing that you ain't doing, but what we should do (or should be doing) to achieve the kind of lifestyle that God wants us to live. The former leads to strife and self-righteousness, while the latter makes us work together as a body that seeks to please its Master.

There is a difference between judging a person on the basis of what you do that they don't, and what you both know is right but they don't do.
There is a difference between making the sinner find Christ in we church-going-saved-people, and making them think that the Church is made up of a bunch of confused perfectionists who always take a 'no' for an answer to the sinner seeking deliverance.

We should stop being petty. We should grow up. We should become like Jesus Himself. Christ accepted the sinner as he/she was (good examples are Zaccheus and the Samaritan woman.) We should listen to what the hymn writer says too:
1. Just as I am, without one plea,
But that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidst me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
2. Just as I am, and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blot,
to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come...

The question now is: what are we doing in order to make the difference? How are we dealing with those people in our church congregations that are struggling with sin? How are we correcting the sinner, and edifying the saint? How are we bringing the lost to Christ? Are we completely losing them to sin, or bringing them to the light of Jesus Christ?

Think about it.

The way we do this makes a big difference. So, yes, there is a difference!!


 Bonface Morris.