The Love Intermission

 

Somewhere on the shores of a lake here in Kenya

Sometimes, 

When drunk with love and are petrified by its numbness

When you can't answer to your name

And the world is zigging in a stupor

When only you and some other one crazy person make sense,

Think about these things,

Yes, think about these things...

Love has a voice. 

If it whispers, you will know;

And when it shouts, you will hear.

It penetrates the hardest of hearts and breaks the greatest of walls

Its voice has wings like winds

You may not know when you breathe it in,

Or when it broke right in,

But you will sure know when you are under its curse.

You will.

Love should not be burden, 

But it is a good load of dreadful sweet things.

It's a mixture of pain and pleasure,

Of lying to yourself and suffering a resuscitation,

Of cycles of sacrifice and receiving,

But never a burden.

Once it's on that road of burdening you,

The both of you, or just one of you

Sit yourselves down - 

You and your other one crazy person - 

Then sober it up.

It's time for an intermission.

It's time for an unburdening.

It's time for love to be set free from all the pressures 

And all the expectations.

And all the imperfections of lazy power,

Of the lazy power of burdened love.

Love should not be rushed.

Let me ask you this: do you rush life?

Can you live tomorrow before its time?

Do you tell your 70th year, "Aaah, I'll skip the 40th and 50th and 60th and come right-at-ya o 70th"?

You don't.

Like life, love should be let to be.

If it grows, it has grown.

If doesn't, it hasn't.

If you put in the work and it doesn't grow, let it be.

Especially if you haven't met some other one crazy person who feels the same.

Let it be.

You're not meant to force love.

You're not meant to rush God.

You're not meant to force God.

God is love.

Don't rush both.

Love is not pressure.

It is your other other crazy person's right to be loved, 

But it is not anyone's right to tell you how to do it.

Because when two crazy people meet and agree to fall in love, 

The internet is not there.

In-laws are not there.

Pastors are not there.

Your boss is not there.

Friends are not there.

Parents are not there.

The church is not there.

Some deranged alumni-squad is not there.

It's just two crazy people agreeing to enjoy each other's take on life.

The only one present is God (and perhaps that sneaky angel called satan).

There shouldn't be pressure to maintain such a simple and beautiful thing.

There shouldn't.

Love is like a garden.

One which shouldn't be tilled before its time.

Lest we arouse weeds,

Weeds we cannot upluck,

And weeds we cannot praise.

While in the solitudinous angst of love,

Always remember that God is a Gardener that only tends those in His garden

He doesn't intrude on those who haven't accepted Him to be who He says He is.

So when you take time to gauge whether love is growing where it's being sowed 

Or it's dead, or withered, or bored,

Also take time to learn from Him on how to tend it

You will reap handsomely.

And finally...

Love needs time.

Time to reflect upon it, and time for it to be itself;

Somewhere in between and somewhere along the way,

It requires that you take time and unravel it

Take time and allow it to punch you in the gut - to smite you right in your resolve

Take time for you to quiver in the weight of its glory, 

Time to understand the measure of its strength,

Time to decipher its unbelievableness,

Time to tremble at its call,

Time to enjoy its reality,

Time to see if its time to call it mature.

Love needs time for it to be itself.

Friend,

Take a moment today and think about the things that make or break your loves

Those intermittent sporadic airs of importunity 

Those may just be what you need to get it right. 

Love is not when you get all you want, but when you give all you have. - Otunga, circa 2022.

Morris 2.0

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.

Mkuu (Greater) by Pendo & Morris (Kiswahili and English Lyrics)

Pendo & Morris - Mkuu (Greater) official audio cover art

Hello family, we hope you enjoy our newest release this July of 2020. Even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, may you join us in declaring (together with the heavens) the greatness of our God; because He is the same yesterday, today and forever! He is great! #PassionFunGod 

This song was inspired by the following verse of Scripture:

Psalms 135:5 - "I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods."

Zaburi 135:5 - "Ninajua ya kuwa BWANA ni mkuu, kwamba Bwana wetu ni mkuu zaidi kuliko miungu yote." 

Mkuu (Greater) Swahili and English Lyrics

Written and performed by: Pendo & Morris

Audio by: Shakhan Studios

Video link > 

Verse 1 (Morris):

Twainua mikono yetu juu 

(We lift up our hands)

Twapaza sauti zetu kwako 

(We lift up our voices to You) 

Twakiri kwamba wewe ni mkuu 

(We confess that You are great) 

Mungu, wewe ni mkuu! 

(Lord God, You alone are great!)

Chorus 1: 

Wewe, 

(You alone)

Wewe, 

(You alone)

Wewe, 

(You alone)

Wewe ni mkuu!

(You alone are great!) x2

Verse 1 (Rerun by Pendo):

Twainua mikono yetu juu 

(We lift up our hands)

Twapaza sauti zetu kwako 

(We lift up our voices to You) 

Twakiri kwamba wewe ni mkuu 

(We confess that You are great) 

Mungu, wewe ni mkuu!

(Lord God, You alone are great!)

Chorus 1: 

Wewe, 

(You alone)

Wewe, 

(You alone)

Wewe, 

(You alone)

Wewe ni mkuu!

(You alone are great!) x2

Chorus 1 (Parts): 

Wewe, 

(You alone)

Wewe, 

(You alone)

Wewe, 

(You alone)

Wewe ni mkuu!

(You alone are great!) x2

Verse 2 (Parts):

Mkuu zaidi ya wafalme 

(Greater than all Kings)

Mkuu zaidi ya miungu

(Greater than all gods)

Wewe, Wewee ni mkuu!

(You alone, You alone are great!) 

U juu zaidi ya majina 

(You're higher than all names) 

U juu zaidi mamlaka 

(You're higher than all authority)

Wewe, wewe ni mkuu!

(You alone, You alone are great!)

Verse 3:

You are greater than the troubles that I see, 

(Wewe ni mkuu zaidi ya matatizo niyayoyaona)

You limitless in all that you do, 

(Na haupimiki kwa yote unayoyatenda)

Your loving-kindness 

(Fadhili zako) 

It has no end!

 (Hazikomi!)

Chorus 2:

Greater!

(Mkuu!) 

Greater!

(Mkuu!) 

Greater!

(Mkuu!)

You are greater!

(Wewe ni mkuu zaidi!) x2

Vamp (Ending): 

(Mkuu!) x8

(Great!) x8

©2020, Pendo & Morris.

For inquiries and/or partnerships, please contact pendo.evayo@gmail.com or morris.bonface@gmail.com

Happy Valentine's, My Love

My love, I always wonder how love works.
Really.
I thought I knew a bit about it before I got married, but after I married you, I keep on wanting to understand it.
Like I could wake up today, turn my head over and tell you, "Hey babe, I love you. Happy Valentine's!"
And you would smile.
And that smile would terrify me.

I may be tempted to think that by just saying so, it's enough.
That you'd feel you're loved.
That by saying so, everything in you would scream in the silence of understanding that I could die for you. That I could bring down a mere mountain for you.
But love keeps proving me wrong.
How well can a man REALLY tell a woman that she's loved?
Kill himself, perhaps?
*Sigh!*
Kill himself?
But after he's died who'd remain to show love?
Who would remain to declare to her and the world, "Hah! Y'all have seen that? Huh?!! I love her!! See?! See!? I loooove her!!"
Dead bodies do speak love but it's a silent, dark and gravy love.
Dead bodies die with love.

I think a woman like you would need the continuous caressing of words upon ear:
The symphony of sounds and the melody of words upon heart.
You would need me to tell you I love you.
Over and over and over and over and over and over again like an endless refrain.
Come-on, babe.
You would like it, right!?
I could write songs - because it's an art I'm conversant with - telling you sweet-somethings
You would want me to whisper it with a long hug
You would want me to hold you close in a tight embrace and probably say nothing for minutes...
Just swinging gently in silence while love dominates our hearts, bodies and minds...
You would want me to keep doing it over and over and over and over and over again
Because you ladies just never get tired of being told you're loved...

But would that make me a better lover, a better husband?
Maybe. Who knows?
But how could words alone without death to self prove that a woman is loved?
Words are sweet. I'll say them.
But my eyes and my heart are better: I'll say my words and I'll demand that you look into my eyes.
I'll demand that you look into my heart.
These two never lie.
And maybe I'll smile while at it so you see that my ka-tiny dimple. While at it.
And you'll smile back.
Then, maybe then, you'd know that my eyes and heart are only for you, my love.
The Lord has taught them not to lie.
So let it be.

Let me tell you something about what was happening inside me when I was marrying you, o little angel...
I was being selfish.
I know many men are selfish around their ladies but let me promise you that theirs is not like my kind of selfish.
My selfish is the advanced type.
The notorious type.
I say it again: yes, I was being selfish when I married you.
I wanted you for myself and for myself only.
What man wouldn't? What man wouldn't want you for himself?
But I can repent of my selfishness by twisting my desires in a different way before the Holy Throne of God Almighty;
And while whimpering in astute reverence I'd tell the Lord, "I wanted her for myself, but both of us for You"
He'll smile about it.
I know.

My selfishness also terrifies me.
Now, that's on the edge of things because in these few words, I've already mentioned two things that terrify me: your smile when I say, "I love you, darling" and my selfishness.
I really want you to understand that those two things have changed me.
Because when you smile, I melt... And when I'm selfish, I toughen up.
Yes, to be selfish enough and in a godly manner, I need to show you that I can handle my business when it comes to you.
Do you feel me?
I can't be selfish enough if I can't show you enough that you're loved and that I'm the only one that deserves you.
Well, wait-a-minute... Do I even deserve you?
O Lord, this is an overkill!

Look at me intensely here below and notice the overkill;

This was February last year.

Two months to our wedding.
I was excited about the very idea that a year back (in 2018), you had agreed to marry me.
I had done some churchboy engagement thingy which almost backfired (haha - this is a story for another day) but the sweetest of memories is that I was glad I wanted to marry you.
I wanted to marry someone I love and someone who loves me more than I love them.
Someone I'll be glad to die for because they'd be glad to die for me.
Someone who's my friend.
Someone who gets me.
Someone who doesn't tolerate my nonsense - because I got a lot of nonsense going on in and around me.
Someone who's got grit and ambition.
And guess what?
That someone was you.
That someone is you.

I knew you were special.
No! "special" is an understatement.
I know now that you're more special than I thought you were.
Your confidence and novelty amaze me.
And right there in that photo, as you folded your arms around me, that dreadlocks guy (what's his name again?) taking those photos and we moving and exchanging positions and smiling in the evening sun - that moment was unforgettable.
It is unforgettable.
That moment made me tell people "I'm going to marry her. We'll be one thing. Ukiongea ujinga kumhusu tutakosana."
I said this to the anger of many.
And I still say it again, "Mkiongea ujinga kuhusu wife yangu tutakosana".

And here we are today.
We don't want to be a "super couple", a "power couple", "couple goals" or any of that nonsense.
Not for now.
We've never wanted that.
We've never wanted the world to imagine that there's a perfectness to what we are.
That'd be a lie. And we don't love lies.
Lies don't befit something born of God.
Let's just be us. Let's do us.

We've had our moments.
We've had them all: the good, the bad, the ugly.
We don't have to prove a point.
Not to anyone. Not even to ourselves.
The journey is long, my love. The journey is long.
And you are not alone. I'm here with you. And God is with us.
Let's take one step at a time, my love. One step at a time.
I'm here with you. And the Lord is with us.
The Lord is with us.
I'll love you everyday...

Happy Valentine's, my love.

Morris 2.0

FYI, If you go to church on Sunday but love God everyday, you can as well celebrate Valentine's Day and love your partner everyday.

Wastahili by Pendo & Morris (Swahili and English Lyrics)

Wastahili official art cover

Wastahili (You Are Worthy) Swahili and English Lyrics

by Pendo & Morris

written by Pendo and Morris.

Audio by Bwenieve Productions.

Lyric Video link » https://youtu.be/B8RwqAvWXIY

Verse 1:

Mbingu na vyote vyakuabudu

(Heavens and everything Worships you)

Viumbe vya imba sifa kwako

(Living things sing praises to You)

Pre-chorus:

Ni wee unafaa

(Only You are worthy)

Ni wewe muweza

(Only You are mighty)

Ni wewe ngome tena rafiki yangu

(Only You are my stronghold and my friend)

CHORUS:

Wastahili, wastahili

(You're worthy, You're worthy)

Wastahili, Wastahili

(You're worthy, You're worthy)

Wastahili sifa na adhama

(You're worthy of praise and majesty)

Wastahili Bwana

(You're worthy oh Lord)

Verse 2:

Uliye na nguvu zote mikononi mwako: Uu-huu a-huu

(You who holds all power in Your hands: Uu-huu a-huu)

Unayewalinda wale wanaokwamini: Uu-huu a-huu

(You who protects all that trust You: Uu-huu a-huu) *2

Nyakati zote, U mwaminifu

(You are faithful at all times)

Sheria yako, ni Kamilifu

(Your law is perfect)

Pre-chorus:

Ni wee unafaa

(Only You are worthy)

Ni wewe muweza

(Only You are mighty)

Ni wewe ngome tena rafiki yangu

(Only You are my stronghold and my friend)

Bridge:

Bwana, Bwana

(Lord, Lord)

Bwana, Bwana

(Lord, Lord)

Yesu, Yesu

(Jesus, Jesus)

Yesu, Yesu

(Jesus, Jesus)

Ending:

Wastahili sifa na adhama

(You're worthy of praise and majesty)

Wastahili Bwana

(You're worthy oh Lord!)


©2019, Pendo & Morris. 

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. 

Here Are 7 Free MP3 Downloads that Help Me Say "Goodbye Third Day, I'll Miss You"

Third Day (a Christian rock band) 

Okay guys, Third Day, one of our favorite Christian rock bands formed in the 1990s and consisting of Mac Powell as lead singer/vocalist (come on, we all love Powell's gritty voice, yes?), guitarist Mark Lee, David Carr and Billy Wilkins (former member) is calling it quits this June.

😥😥

No, the guys are still good friends by the way, so don't start a stale rumor mill just yet.

The lead singer, Mac Powell, said this in an interview last week: "It’s great that we get a chance to close the chapter in our own timing and in our own way. Nobody is mad at each other,” he said. “We’re still friends and still buds. We’re riding off into the sunset in a good way.”  Each band member will now pursue individual creative interests. 

As four-time GRAMMY® Award-winners and a multi-platinum selling band, Third Day will hit the road one last time from the end May 2018 to headline their FAREWELL TOUR, which concludes an extraordinary touring career that spans 25 years and boasts legions of loyal fans from around the world. The tour will run from May 31 to June 27.

In addition to performing their hits during the tour, Mark Lee will also be sharing new music and stories from his critically acclaimed autobiography, Hurt Road, which released last year. Worship leader Matt Maher will be a special guest on the tour, and other guests will be featured in different markets.

Some good news though...

Mac Powell will continue making music with his band Mac Powell and the Family Reunion. 

FYI, Powell has been pursuing a side career in country music in recent years with his band releasing two independent albums and touring solo as well as doing shows with country traditionalist Craig Morgan.
He may release an album and a Christmas album later on in the year. Let's wait and see.

*******

As my tribute to them, here are but a few of their songs that have influenced my worship and as a Gomer...

Note: Click on the song titles to download the free audio (standard quality mp3). 

1. Born Again (from the 2008 album Revelation).

2. God of Wonders (from the 2003 album Offerings 2: All I Have to Give).

3. I Need A Miracle (from the 2012 album Miracle). 

4. In Jesus' Name featuring Michael W. Smith, Natalie Grant & Michael Tait of Newsboys (from the 2015 album Lead Us Back: Songs of Worship).

5. You're So Good to Me (from the 2003 album Offerings 2: All I Have to Give).

6. Your Love Is Like A River (from the 2015 album Lead Us Back: Songs of Worship)

7. King of Glory (from the 2002 album Offerings: A Worship Album)

We will miss you Third Day!!

Bonface Morris.

Soulmate? What Soulmate?

A few years ago, while still squirming in my naivety, I could only believe that a person falls in love once; and with only one person. 

I was right: a person only falls in love once - but with one person at a time. 

Yes, only one person at a time. Falling in love with two people at the same time ni kuchanganyikiwa, while falling in love with even more people at the same time ni tamaa tu.  

I know that when I say a person can only fall in love with one person at a time, some of y'all who're used to messing around with the word LOVE think, "...aaah but so and so makes me feel butterflies in my stomach even when I do well know that I'm currently in a SERIOUS relationship with so-and-so!" 

Oh yes, they do. They make you feel butterflies because you are careless with your heart and are not entirely serious about the person you're currently "dating". Because if you were serious, you wouldn't tolerate such a kind of nonsensical emotional cheating. You tolerate thinking about being in a relationship with another person when you're already in a relationship because you love cheating and are not ready to pay the price that comes with true love. True love sticks with one person no matter what. 

Okay, after that short (and almost out of topic) ranting, let's move on from where I left kwa third paragraph... 

So who is a soulmate? 
The original/traditional definition of soulmate from the Merriam-Webster dictionary is;
1. a person who is perfectly suited to another in temperament or 
2. a person who strongly resembles another in attitudes or beliefs (ideological soulmates).

The above definitions are alright and if that's what anyone you know refers to when referring to soulmates, it sounds alright with me. 

There's nothing wrong with being in a relationship with "a person who's perfectly suited for me in temperament" or "a person who strongly resembles me in attitude and beliefs". That's a good thing. We all want that, don't we? 

In fact, God put us on earth and assigned to us in our various locations "people who perfectly suit our temperaments, attitudes and beliefs." There is nothing wrong with that. 

Acts 17:26 (ESV)
"And He (God) made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place..."

But here is where the problem creeps in with this whole soulmate issue... 

The current pop culture - which has an inherent addiction to narcissism - seems to support so much this idea of there being only ONE PERSON "who is perfectly suited to another in temperament" and whom one can have a meaningful relationship with. They call that person a soulmate too. 

Notice: 
Notice the difference between our first original definition from Merriam-Webster which refers to a soulmate as "any person who is perfectly suited for me..." and New Age/modern/pop definitions below which call a soulmate "the only person who is perfectly suited for me..."

Let's look at some popular websites that redefine who a soulmate is and how they move it away from the traditional meaning.

Note the following definitions; 

1. The Urban Dictionary follows a rather New Age definition of soulmate (somewhat scary actually). It defines a soulmate as... 
... a perfect eternal lover that fate brings into your life. They are a being or soul, an equal, deeply intertwined into your soul in a romantic way. They become your best friend, and contribute and sacrifice on your behalf. Some believe that your soulmate exists infinitely and is a manifestation of the universe's power. Your soulmate is irreplaceable. They can find your soul in our universe even if you're light years away and in another lifeform. Every soul has a soulmate that offers powerful love energy, it's an equal exchange. It is not always possible for your soulmate to spend this life time with you, there may be reasons. There are other ways your soulmate will connect with you regardless, like a guardian angel. Your soul is conjoined with theirs. Read the full definition here.

2. In this article at foreverconscious.com, the reader is likely to get confused by how these guys are trying to differentiate between a soulmate and a life partner. 
In short, their definition goes something like this: 
A soulmate is someone who is aligned with your soul and is sent to challenge, awaken and stir different parts of you in order for your soul to transcend to a higher level of consciousness and awareness. Once the lesson has been learnt, physical separation usually occurs.
A life partner is a companion, a friend, a stable and secure individual who you can lean on, trust and depend on to help you through life. There is a mutual feeling of love and respect and you are both in sync with each others needs and wants.

3. Here, (click to read) the Huffpost (yes, the Huffpost) declares the following in the first paragraphs of the article before delving later into showing us how having a soulmate feels like;
A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are.
Soulmates are the epitome of love and partnership. 
Not just anyone can fulfill you the way your soulmate can. There’s a world of a difference between your soulmate, your heart’s other half and a life partner — a person who lacks the elements to mold perfectly to you. Your soulmate makes you feel entirely whole, healed and intact, like no piece is missing from the puzzle. A life partner, on the other hand, can be a great supporter and long-time companion, but is limited in his or her capacity to enrich your spirit.

From the above modern/pop definitions, it is now indisputable that soulmates are the MOST SOUGHT AFTER THING in relationships today - especially with the notion that if you don't meet this ONE PERSON you are meant to fall in love with, your relationship life will be forever ruined, or that without them, you'll never ever ever ever ever ever reach your (relationship) life's full potential. 

People are obsessed with finding that ONE PERSON that is "fine-tuned" to their desires and liking, because modernity has fooled them into thinking that this person is their EVERYTHING. They earnestly seek for this non-existent person because they fear "missing out on the best relationship life ever."

Yes, it's true that when God created you, He had in mind a certain person that would suit you as a life partner (as we noted above), but we have no reason to think that there is only one person in the whole creation that fits that bill. Depending with how well you interact with people, you are likely to fall in love and be totally compatible with different people in different seasons of life all the time. If you open your heart wide enough, you will. 

The war of love is when you choose to stick with one person and overlook every other. Love is a choice. 

Another important thing to note as we continue with this discussion on soulmates is this: if we stick to the original, archaic definition of a soulmate, it ain't a bad thing, it's what we all need in a person we are relating with; but if we switch over to the refined modern/pop definition, a soulmate becomes a spiritual thing with New Age connotations and dangerous relationship exploration: ladies like the one in 50 Shades of Grey will stick with a violent person just because some twisted mind told them that that person was their soulmate. It almost as if someone would rather die than lose this person. That's really lame. 

And with that I'm mind, my conclusion below shows why I am against the modern definition of soulmates and why I would wish you as my reader to see this as a genuine reason to be against it too; 

1. Modern soulmates make the "lover" selfish.
If you want something this bad and this perfect, you better be perfect and ready too; and accept it when we call you selfish or self-centered. You are only thinking of yourself, and that's what selfish people do. 

2. Modern soulmates make us idolize relationships and people. 
The many characteristics given to the modern soulmate are attributes that only belong to God i.e. ability to bring wholeness and satisfaction to a person. 

3. Modern soulmates encourage manipulation in relationships.
If the so-called soulmate is discriminatory, the other party may suffer in silent. 

4. The idea of modern soulmates makes us think that love is not a choice but a staged episode in life. It lies to us that falling in love is a matter of fate. 
With soulmates, love is not an adventure full of risks and choices but a run into a limited fairyland.

5. Modern soulmates disapprove love as defined and ordained by God. 
God is love. We get to love others by loving and knowing Him and vice versa. He is the ultimate source and example of true sacrificial love. The modern soulmate puts love into an arena of fate where one can neither control the "how" or "why" of falling in love. 

6. Modern soulmate relationships are fueled by fear and lack of trust in God. 
It seems never meeting this soulmate means living in constant fear that one's love life can never be successful. 

So, friend, whenever someone talks about soulmates, be sure to ask them which one they're talking about.. 


Bonface Morris.