KENYAdigit?!?!?!

so now, i'm back. i'm back home. i'm finally back home. after nine months. i got so emotional when the plane touched down. i know people have been away for longer but still. getting out of the plane... did you guys know that Kenya has a "smell"? it does. not like a stenhc, just a smell. that's what greeted me at the airport. i know i'll lose all my street cred for this next sentence but, the firtst thing i heard through the intercom at JKIA was "Karibuni Kenya mabibi na mabwana..." i couldn't fight the tears. i was so happy. hearing guys talking on swa, and that swa having kikuyu and luo and kale accents, the rusty luggage trolleys, the arrogant airport clerks, some random trying to get me to buy a suffericom line at 200bob (yeah, suffericom, apparently that's what the locals are calling it these days) it was theraputic.

SA was okay, just okaym nothing extra ordinary but towards the end of the year i needed to get away, i needed to get away so bad. i was tired of how they didn't have goat meat, how beef was so expensive, how all they locals thought i was south african and always talked to me in xhosa, how all the houses looked the same, how the streets were never crowded, how the clubs always played kwaito... i could go on for a minute, but i won't, i'm sure ya'll get the point.

being home... there's nothing it. the traffic, the wreckless driving, the potholes, the atmosphere, seeing psyched friends, eating chapos drinking Kenyan tea, seeing cool bill boards, funny adverts, how the javz don't stop operating at night,the cheap internet rates with zain and Orange, (i'm totally zaining now) it's great to be back people!!!

this greatness that i fear

everyone's telling me this great news in my ear! 'you were created for greatness!' is all i hear im not sure if i should believe it ,and im not so sure if i should live it.you see this future, is not For sure!it is just so big, what it entails seems like content from the super league! im so overwhelmed by who i can be, that greatness in me i just don't see. people keep wondering why i wallow in my situation, why i stay yet down it is so wrong. its not because i cant walk its because i cannot even begin to fathom the greatness in this talk.
i want to be great but im too scared to take a risk!trust me i wanna change but there some things that i hold on to coz they practically define me. i wanna be a better man but it takes to much, that id rather remain a bitter man!i wanna be free but the price of freedom looks more than the price of imprisonment!im so scared of the greatness that lies within me because i have to be broken for it to be set free. so every time i take 2 steps forward, i take 5 steps back, so i can be close to the place that i feel safe. im not happy but at least i know i here i dont have to be brave.
one day i shall be ready to fight, ready to do, what is right! but for now lemme stick to the same old, im still shy not yet bold! one day ill master enough courage to say enough is enough and actually be tough but till then ima stick to the sorry old rough.
dont judge me if u dont know what i mean, there is a lot that doesnt meet your eye, alot that goes unseen. be patient with me, there are battles i am fighting deep within,a truckload of mess that i dont want you in.when i gather the courage to face who i can be in the eye,i will take off and fly. soar to the heights i was meant to reach, reach my so called GREATNESS.

if i lay here

The sun is shinning high up in the sky. The day looks promising. I woke up enthusiastic. I knew that today I would make my kill. But then a question crossed my mind; what am I killing? What am I enthusiastic for? I have to find a purpose; a reason to wake up in the morning. Maybe I should, yes, I suppose I should lay here.

The wind is blowing strongly. The pregnant clouds are threatening to explode. The leaves are rustling with foreboding. The skies are sending a warning, of troubles to come. I run with the crowd, helter skelter, looking for shelter. But then I stop, and wonder out loud, why am I running? What do I expect to find? Maybe I should just lay here.

Everyone is busy carrying out one chore to the other. Nobody seems to notice that I am just moving from corner to corner. I want to be busy, I want to have chores. But the only thing I seem good at is the aimless movement. I feel lost in my own home. I want to lay here.

I am tired of this aimless moving. This purposeless searching. I am tired of trying to find that which I do not know, trying to keep that which I do not have. I am tired of moving in endless vicious circles. I want to take a rest, just sit back and watch it all go by. What if I just lay here … ….

is civil disobedience the way forward?

Civil disobedience is the active refusal to obey certain laws, demands and commands of a government, or of an occupying power, without resorting to physical violence. It is one of the primary tactics of nonviolent resistance. In its most nonviolent form (known as ahimsa or Satyagraha) it could be said that it is compassion in the form of respectful disagreement.
Mahatma Gandhi advocated civil disobedience in India which he incorporated in his Satyagraha philosophy, the same civil disobedience was put into Action in South Africa by Mandela and his comrades, by Martin Luther King, Jr. in the USA, and Sondhi Limthongkul did it in Thailand. Bottom line is; they all worked. Where am I heading with all this you may ask?
I have been keen on the African leadership and Kenya in particular for the last 15 years or so. At my young age I have discovered that our leaders have been presented with a lot of power at their disposal and there are no systems in place to actually regulate them on how they exercise their executive rights. They are powerful beyond the state itself, so much so that they practice arrogant leadership fostered by greed and selfishness. They have amassed all the wealth they could possibly get and in the process stepped on the heads of the common man for their own financial gains.
Recently, the well paid people in Kenya (Mps) all of whom do not deserve that kind of salary, were quick to reject a proposal that was put forward in parliament to tax their pay. They gave inane reasons not to be taxed; paying funeral bills for their constituents from their salaries, Harambee contributions and other form of dubious excuses. I wonder why these altruistic men and women are usually the first to downplay any form of contribution towards the welfare of the common man and yet very quick to unanimously agree on matters that satisfy their own financial gains. It is very sad that a common mwananchi who is paid 10 times less than these Mps and does not receive any allowances whatsoever, is taxed, yet these “service men” who earn their living from sitting around on the benches of parliament only to be paid six figure salaries vehemently reject the idea of being taxed!…yet they are quick to claim every five years that they want to bring change…what change?
In a country marred by scandals of public fund misuse and fraud amongst its politicians and businessmen you would think that the leadership would act fast to clear its name and restore faith amongst its people. Yet it seems all they do is to try and protect their cronies from the hand of the law. There have been so many commissions of inquiry into large scandals whose findings are either never revealed to the public or are never acted upon. It is sad that a man who steals ksh10000 can face up to 3 years in prison but those who embezzle millions are pardoned all in the name of amnesty. Amnesty should never replace justice. Selective justice is no justice at all.
It seems our leadership keeps failing us all the time. They have discovered they can get away with anything because no one will follow up. Nobody wants to get their hands dirty. Probably it’s time we, the citizens, looked for alternative options of ensuring we get what we deserve. Violence is not an option therefore we need to try means that are violent free. We need to drastic measures. It may be an old means but it seems the only option we will soon have is civil disobedience. Maybe then will the leadership of this country change for the better.

The search...

''It has been a long time coming,''i said to myself...Such a long time coming.We dwell in a world in which the concepts of being on a journey are deemed as for the righteous or for the 'deep people.' But truly,what is a journey and how many of us make this journey?The battle to live a life of truth in a fake world overwhelms,and this,causes thoughts of failure to emerge,mummifying us in cocoons of self hate and disbelief.I was on a journey.Born in a society where materialism reigns supreme,i swam with the same fishes i now see in a different light.W e are all born in this same pond,a pond full of lust,money,fame,and vices birthed every second.Have you ever reached a point in your life when you get tired of all this and just look for a getaway?In the midst of my escape,my search for relaxation,a certain peace came to me,a peace hard to explain but easy to feel,i felt at home.
Home is a word used to symbolise safety,peace and belonging.Are you at home?Reach deep into the depths of your thoughts and see if indeed you are home.I searched for truth in the wrong places,looked for fresh air in the middle of sewers but something strange happened.After such a long search for truth,and failing to find it,it found me.Waking up one day,i felt different,like i had a purpose or a mandate,i felt like i belonged.Nothing in me resembled the emptiness that devoured me when my eyes were still closed to the reality of life.Questions began to stir in me,questions like what is life?What is love?What is truth,joy,meaning,freedom,what are these and where can we go to find them or where can we wait for them to find us?
The destination sometimes can look unseen because the distance is far from the reach of our eyes but that does not mean there is no destination.Often i have retreated to spots where nature is my only companion,where starlights look at me,shining my way,as if they understand me.I have watched the nightlights as they case dull nights with their artificial beauty,but still,beauty it is,and i have found peace in the fact that He who created such beauty,places in which i can call home,created me too.Gone are the day when booze and scandals with the opposite sex took the place of home,gone are the days in which i would sigh and hope but fail to make an effort to search,just laying back,thinking i had no reason to search for i myself am a search in my own right.
Where is the line between our mind and heart drawn and can we ever strike a balance between them?Many times when in conflict with ourselves,we always ask,what does your heart say?What does your mind say?Then we always come up with a notion to either follow the heart or the mind,we never choose to follow both...Is there ever a way to complete the search within oneself,to complete the journey that we as human beings are inevitably on?Are materialism,vanity,corruption and hate breeding a people who do not believe in the journey to find oneself?Are they providing a false escape route from the inevitable?Some think that life with true belonging does not exist,and that the burn in ones heart or soul when searching for who they are is make-belief.Well,this is a choice we all have to make,to find ourselves before we succumb to other peoples versions of who we are.We may reach a point in life where we do not know who we are anymore,when we slowly begin to drift away from the habits we had and found normal,and in turn feel that something is missing.
We need to search who we are,where we are and why we are.Have yo ever looked into the eyes of a child on the street with nothing to eat and feeling incomplete?Have you ever seen the eyes of a barren woman as she looks at foetuses thrown in bins?The look in their eyes is one of deep and intense feeling,a look of searching,searching for what they have never been blessed with.Now compare their look with one of a man taunting the street child with food then throwing it instead.Picture the woman who without any inner questions raised,got rid of her own flesh and blood.What is the difference between these people?Weren't they all created the same?When will we realise that the life we live does not just affect us but also those treading on the path called life?It reaches a point where we all have to look within ourselves and find what truly has meaning in life.
Inevitably the feeling will check in,knocking on the door of our existence,beckoning us to fill the void we thought we never had.The feeling will eat and gnaw looking for a way to be freed.My journey is not yet over,as a matter of fact,a journey of what is true and real never ends,never sleeps,it is always awake,knowing that detractors may settle on our souls turf.That vacum in us,the 'circle' that we will always try to fill with 'triangular' objects,until we find the right 'circle', that emptiness that will always exist until you search and journey,and find what eases your soul,it will haunt,until the light of truth sets us free...
It has been a long time coming,and if that vacum already exists in you,do not open the door to hopelesness,Search and journey with me,for our journey never ends...

What If??

Today I saw the most touching article I have seen in a minute....My friend Eric was preaching at his friends funerals sermon and his title was "What If"...these are some of the what ifs he postedWhat if Forbes named me a millionare?• What if I was famous and Rich?• What if I lived in a big house and I drove a big car?• What if I was blond like Brittney Spears…who is no longer blonde but bald! Hehe!So the point he was trying to put across was what if you died today would you go to heaven??On another different but related note I think what is driving my passion to write is that the official ten day countdown to the presidential elections begun today and the questions on everybodys minds are What if we get to see the next black president??What if Mc Cain wins?What if the votes are rigged?What if What if what if??I think my friend is right..life is made up of what ifs..Ithink what if is a defining statement that can be a defining moment in ones life depending on the answer...What if you jumped off that cliff?What if you did not get that visa?What if you were born white?So in this regard...I think America and the world are at a great defining What If moment in history if the Democrats take home White hOuse on Nov 4th....If Obama wins as the first African American president...it not only is a victory on American turf but also victory that dates back to the days of the Civil War and Rosa Parks on the all white Alabama bus to Martin Luther to the Mau Mau freedom fighters in Kenya to Nelson Mandelas 27years in prison to the continous stigma thats associated with the black race....It will be victorius in the sense that the struggle for equality has paid off - that people wil realiza that we all belong to the human race and not just one particular race....that whether you are Black white Hispanic Caucasian you have no dominion over anybody ..that you can dream dreams and set out to accomplish them...and whether you win or loose the struggle must go on!!!So what if Obama does become president....what if he doesnt??

The Negro needs the white man to free him from his fears.The white man needs the Negro to free him from his guilt. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

the african way...

For the past two years or so, I’ve been having this “Holier Than Thou” attitude. Not with regards to religion, (that really isn’t my strong point) but in regards to music, and the black culture in general. I shunned the “bling-bling” mentality, the baggy jeans and white Ts with the stunner shades, pop locking and dropping while crankin that soulja boy and hollering a bay bay stuff…because to me, I felt there should be more to rap music. That’s when I got into this whole neo-soul/ conscious hip-hop tip. I even changed my look, cut off my perm, grew a fro, which I recently also cut off, that was me trying not to conform, but in not conforming, I did conform. I conformed to the standards of those into that type of thing. I still went on with the music though, some thing I’m still doing up to today… no pun intended to gangsta-rappers, but I’d rather listen to more laid back stuff, unless of course when getting high, and that’s another story.

A few days ago, I was watching Dave Chapelle’s Block Party (the DVD, I wasn’t actually there!) ummm, yeah, they had all these artists like Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Dead Prez. Mos Def, Kanye West, Common, The Roots, John Legend, The Fugees (yes, all of them, together, on one stage), and Talib Kweli. It was an amazing concert. The music was awesome, even more for me because that’s the type of music I’m into. I felt, you know. Like I was doing my part, sticking with my heritage, I felt like I could relate because they weren’t talking about poppin bottles and booty shaking, they were talking about real stuff, you know, poverty, racism, hip-hop, society, even their songs about love were about real love, not just tappin some ass. I was on a musical high. Then, there was this part if the concert where they got really pensive and started talking about how far they’ve come as black people, how they still weren’t completely free, how they shouldn’t forget where they came from, they started talking about slavery, and the Black Panther’s and how the white man was still poisoning them… that was when I realized that I couldn’t relate anymore. I’m in Africa, I didn’t experience they whole slavery thing, o rracism, my ancestors didn’t work in cotton fields. I’m not saying that independence for my people came easy, I’m just saying that that isn’t my history. And that got me thinking again.

I knew then that I was a hypocrite of some sorts because I was hating on people who embraced the bling bling culture and here I was embracing one that wasn’t my own. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for diversity but I believe that we need to know where we’ve been before venturing out to other cultures. I’m trying to make a habit of reading, I realized that although I have read several African Writers’ works but not enough. Not enough to know my own heritage. Besides the history I was taught in school, I have never bothered to know more about the struggle for independence that took part in my country. Here I was, totally distracted by their music, I almost forgot about the music from my home. I realized that I had been ignoring the local. The poetry and literature, the traditional art of story telling and conversing. Even worse, how I am not a fluent speaker of my own tribe’s language. It all hit me. Thee is so much to have to learn, so much culture to take in, so much I don’t know about my own people.

Most of us have fallen victim to the west. Or rather, we have gotten carried away by the west. So much so that we have forgotten about our own cultures and traditions. I was watching TV the other day and they were showing young Zulu* girls in their rite of passage ceremonies. Thousands of girls performing a reed dance, some rural, some urban, but all in their traditional regalia. It is their right. I feel like we are slowly losing their heritage. I’ve met people who’ve lived in Kenya all their lives and still can’t speak Kiswahili*. What’s up with that? This is who we are. We should all do something to keep it alive, so that our kids and their kids can know where they came from.

* look it up!!!

BELIEVE!

It is a word most commonly used, a term often coined in everyday phrases. It is thought by most, if not all, to mean a lot. An untapped power is tacked within it. What’s the word you ask? Believe. Belief. Believing. Appropriate to this context in any of the aforementioned forms.
What is the meaning of belief? What is it to believe? What is believing?
Belief. Defined as a feeling that something or someone is real and true. Also defined as something that one accepts as true or real; what one believes.[1]
In contemporary society today, belief is somewhat regarded as a formula, a means to a happy ending. Songs have been sung, books have been written, award-winning films made. All about belief. And believing.
It is a doctrine taught everywhere. In the church, the marketplace, even in the pubs you won’t miss the occasional voice of sense clumsily dwelling on this matter.
I am confident in stating that most, if not all of us have experienced the emotion, found something, someone to practise belief on/in. Yet I can’t help but wonder, in the heat of all that knowledge behind this mystical entity, many of us have not reached the end through which the means is believing. Many of us have not even begun to scratch the surface of the prize that is attained when we believe. Why so?
As young people, as young Africa, as a generation. Do we believe? What do we believe in? Is it in the things we do? Or in what we say? What we hear or see? Is our believing based on logic, arguments, deductions, conclusions? Do we even believe at all? In anything? Anyone?
I reckon, the saddest lives are those led without much a sense of belief. These are constantly wandering hearts and minds that are hardly ever at peace.
Reality is, we’ve got to believe. Whatever it is we believe in gives us a sense of direction. This, however, does not justify the things we believe in. Believing in things that are here today and gone tomorrow is not believing. It may seem real, but is an expendable entity real? Belief should be based on something unchangeable, immutable; something that cannot be altered by the things we say or do. Something that cannot be intimidated by that which we say. Such belief is credible, and can guarantee a path to greatness.
Young Africa, what do we believe in? What are the things we view to be real? Which people do we regard to be true? It is a sad truth to observe, that in a bid to believe, we have altered the definition of it thereof. We have interpreted ‘real’ to be the lyrics that missed the garbage can and hit the radio waves instead. We have chosen to view ‘real’ as inebriation, alcoholism, drugs, sex. These are the things that we believe in, because these are the things we define to be ‘real’. These are the things upon doing, you are keeping it real.
I ask again, what are we choosing to believe in? As a generation living in depravity and moral erosion, what are we holding on to? What do we grasp on to stay afloat in this hungry sea of despair, of disillusion, of unbelief, of death? Are we holding on to things that, just like us, can be drowned by the vastness of this dilemma? Are we drowning ourselves by holding on to things that are already down under? Or are we trying to brave the storm without so much as a life jacket?
We’ve got to believe. But not just in anything. Not just in anyone. We’ve been made aware of the wars we are in. We’ve been informed as to what the armour is. Belief. But this armour is only as helpful as you let it be. It’s only as reliable as the source. It is possible, that the very armour you so confidently rely on, could be the same one that orchestrates your demise; that turns against you to your detriment.
Young Africa, believe, but not just in anything. Believe, but not just in anyone.

He who has ears, let him hear![2]
[1] Definition from the Oxford Dictionary
[2] Matthew 13:9

the voice in the darkness

I’ve done it all. Well, most of it. The alcohol. The casual sex. The drugs. I’ll say I’ve done most of it for my own peace of mind. Feel free to call it me being in denial. I’m a statistic. I am among the African Youth who have fallen victim to all that. The number of times I have woken up not remembering the events from the night before are more than I am proud of. I’m writing this from the other side the fence. I am one of the ones that need to be gotten to, that need to change. In my defense, I know I need to change. Living the life that I live… is like a drug. It’s highs and lows are like getting stoned then sobering up. When it’s good, it’s great, when it’s bad, the worst. The night life. The drunken escapades. Waking up with hang-overs so nasty and swearing not to drink again. That has been me. I do have to say though that I’m getting better. And no, I’m not just saying it to live with myself. It IS getting better.

This is the voice of those it the dark. I call it the dark because I once walked in a lit path. I know what my life lacks. I keep procrastinating going back to the light although I know the light means life. I don’t know why I, like the majority of my peers continue to stay in the dark. I have cried, hated, resented, regretted, lied, cheated, hurt and tried to forget. This life is emotionally straining. Why then do I continue to stay here? The thought of starting over frightens me. I see it like a relationship. Actually, I know it’s a relationship. I knew Him, God I mean. But sometimes I even have doubts about that. I went away form Him. I found a new way of life with new social circles, new routines, new habits, nasty habits. Those things are now part of me. Starting over frightens me. The path I chose caused me pain, but I find it easier to stay hear, rather than changing direction.

I see those in the light. I can’t help but get jealous. I know how they feel. I know the joy that comes with being in the light. I can live with myself most of the time but there are times it gets pretty bad. At times I try and think of what the others, the ones like me are going through. It must be worse for some them, Those being tied down by addiction and lack of vision. Some have never known salvation. Some have never felt the peace that comes with the light. The mis-conceptions that are spread in the dark are killing us, in masses. We need to be saved. Some of us know we need help, the rest are just simply in denial. We try so hard to get away from the person we are but all we do is get more tangled in the web, in the dark.

There’s got to be more than the constant chanting. The echoing “repent” and “change your ways”. That’s mostly what we get from those in the light. That’s how I feel anyway. There’s got to be more. I repented once, I turned around. I tried to head for the light. My old world moved on without me. I never felt so alone as when I first went back to the light. I was confused, I felt dirty, un-worthy, unwanted. . .

Now, unfortunately, I find myself back in the dark…

Salvation?

My invite to this blog as a writer mentioned copy-pasting as acceptable (why wouldn't it be in the first place??? But anyway...) so here comes my first copy-paste...hope you enjoy the read.

What exactly are Christians being saved from?

Question: If Christians are saved from hell, who is banishing sinners to hell? Isn't it God the one who promises eternal fire and brimstone for the unrepentant? Aren't people being saved from God himself by God himself?

• Christians are indeed being saved from God (according to Christianity) since first and foremost, God is the originator of sin (for he created everything) and in himself not being able to forgive Lucifer for fulfilling his purpose; what God created him for, is itself a testament to the Christian's God's cruelty. Another thing, this issue of hell....why would God want to punish a sinner's soul for all eternity? Isn't that cruelty to the extreme? If he wanted to punish wouldn't it have been easier to simply destroy that soul completely?
  



• Secondly, Christianity also does give us this hope that hell doesn't exist. This hope however resides mostly in theologians otherwise most Christians would have given up Christianity for the bottle long ago. Most theologians indeed believe that there is no hell for God cannot create us to burn in hell. He is, after all, merciful isn't he? Indeed, a handful of priests have already been excommunicated from the Christianity due to their perpetuating of this rather radical teaching to their flock.
  

• Most of all, Christians are not really saved from hell but rather from sin. Yes, ultimately the wages of sin IS death but think of it this way, taking sin as a virus and God as white blood cells, the white blood cells cannot co-exist with the virus and must obliterate it whether or not the outcome of said obliteration is the human being getting better. I'm sure there's a point in there somewhere.

Just a lost mind, doing what it does best...

So....yah! No am not an atheist but that doesn't really matter, what matters is being able to question every belief one takes for granted as truth set in stone and being able to reason for oneself instead of using that age old excuse: we cannot understand God.

SOMALI -A Lawless Land and Ocean

Somalia has the longest coastline in Africa at c. 3,300 km and a productive upwelling region off the Horn providing significant potential for offshore tuna fisheries development. The abundant and diverse marine resources, including seabirds, whales, whale sharks, and several dolphin and turtle species offer promise for ecotourism. This promise, however, stands in stark contrast to current political realities which have developed since the fall of President Siad Barre's regime in 1991 leaving the country without a central government and its waters unrepresented by a recognizable state in the community of nations. Since there is no one particular political entity that controls Somali waters, each coastal region has self-promoted militia, led by a faction leader, which controls its own area, with some entering into controversial fishing vessel licensing arrangements with foreign countries. Somalia's coastal and offshore waters are now dangerous for the innocent passage of yachts and commercial vessel traffic, and foreign fishing vessels operating in Somali waters are at risk of being boarded by militia and having their crews taken hostage. Somali militia, operating from speedboats and posing as coastguard, have worked out the profitability of "coastal patrolling" which includes kidnappings, vessel seizures and ransom demands, all enforced by frequent use of mortars, grenades and small arms.

With the breakdown of civil society, Somalia has degenerated into a no-man's land subject to clan or Islamic Shari'ah law. Owing to continuing unrest in the south, a central government is unlikely to evolve soon. In its place, a decentralized federation of regional political entities has emerged, including the self-proclaimed but unrecognized Republic of Somaliland in the northwest, the self-proclaimed Puntland State in the northeast, Jubaland in the south near Kismayo, and a future Banadir regional administration around Mogadishu when warlords Hussein Aideed (son of late General Farah Aideed) and Ali Mahdi settle their differences. Years of internal conflict have damaged infrastructure in the fishery sector and rendered ineffective any previous oil spill response capability, aids to navigation, and search and rescue capacity in a region of high tanker/cargo traffic to and from the Suez Canal through the Gulf of Aden and calling at Mombasa, the East African shipping hub.

---

Piracy Experiences

The international community encourages local Somali administrative entities to take responsibility for governance of the region, but when authority is exerted over coastal waters the individuals are labelled pirates. Several incidents involving foreign fishing vessels and cargo vessels arrested by pirates in Somali waters have been reported recently.

September 30, 2008: The seizure by Somali pirates of a Belize-registered vessel which was carrying military arsenal to Kenya is a wake-up call to the international community.

The pirates are not only a threat to international commerce as we know it, but also show how the war in Somalia has spilled beyond its international borders.
While the free movement of cargo has always been the heart of international commerce, freight movement off the Somali waters is going to become complex, risky and expensive.
Merchant ships had previously been attacked, paid ransom and released.
This not only set a bad precedent but also sent a signal to the pirates that it was a way of life. We watched as they snowballed from rag-tag bandits to sea-pirates.
The world also watched as the pirates upped the game, and now they have acquired deadly arsenals and are ready to launch multi-million dollar demands.
The hijacking of the ship with military hardware destined for Kenya is thus not an isolated incident but part of what today drives the thuggish economy of the war-torn Somalia.

As has been pointed out, the small arms in the ship —if they are whisked away— could tilt the balance of power in the war -torn country. Kenya has put it strongly that it cannot, and will not negotiate with terrorists. And that is the way forward. Crime should not pay and should never pay in our international waters.
The world cannot sit back and allow extortionist gangs to freely roam international waters leading to and from the Horn of Africa.

Recently, a Germany ship owner Niels Stolberg made the mistake of paying $1.1 million to recover his $23 million freighter.
It is such payments that have made the pirates increase their attacks hoping to get more maritime prizes.

September 22, 2008: Armed pirates have attacked and hijacked another Greek-owned cargo ship in the eastern coast of Somalia, taking all 19 crew members as hostage, an anti-piracy watchdog said today.

The attack comes just five days after pirates hijacked another Greek bulk carrier within the same area. Four pirates in three speedboats launched an attack on the boat, which was flying a Bahamas flag, before boarding and hijacking the carrier.

The attacks in the eastern cost are more dangerous, because it's open seas. To patrol this open area is not as easy. This needs concerted effort by the United Nations.
Three days later, another Greek-owned bulk carrier cargo ship carrying 25crew was attacked by pirates off the eastern coast of Somalia.

Pirates have captured dozens of ships around the Horn of Africa this year, making the waters off Somalia the most dangerous in the world. "The pirates are continuing because there are no major deterents," said Choong. Sunday's hijacking pushes the number of attacks this year in Somali waters to 56. Some 20,000 ships pass annually through the Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Olympics are welcome for various reasons

A number of sportsmen and women were this week banned for having taken illegal drugs to enable them score victories unsportingly. They remind those acquainted with Olympic history that Socrates categorised into three those who attended the Games in classical antiquity.

The first came only to sell goods, the second to compete and the last merely to watch.

The Athenian philosopher had the kindest words for the mere spectators, saying they were the only selfless and noble-minded participants. Socrates had disparaging words for those who went only to sell goods.

They were the equivalents of today’s corporate “sponsors” of and advertisers on sporting occasions. Their interest is not in sport but only to get rich. Between these antitheses were the competitors themselves.

While they were to be commended for their skills, even they were interested only in the glory of publicity.

As the Beijing event shows, these respective motivations remain with us today. Since the advent of the modern mass media, the Western corporations have invaded every sporting arena to make super-profits by exploiting the natural abilities of the world’s young people.

Thus whenever their publicists declaim about “the Olympic spirit”, they are merely licking their lips for the cash that will flow profusely into their accounts. For, from their mouths, it is clear that the “Olympic spirit” is not the same thing as sporting and international justice.

Take China. Ever since it won the privilege of hosting the 2008 games, peer states have relentlessly accused it of committing crimes against the “Olympic spirit”. Of course, China has recently committed horrendous human rights abuse internally, especially in Tibet.

And, on our continent it continues to finance many tyrannies, especially the Sudanese government’s hecatomb in Darfur. Thus China’s guilt drips like blood from all the interstices of its political skin. As usual, then, my interest is only to put such crimes in world perspective.

During the many four-year inter-Olympic periods after the Second World War, China’s main accusers today -- Britain and the United States -- have committed human rights abuses that boggle the mind in many more countries than China and, as studies now show, even at home.

The Western hostility to China has two related sources. The first is purely propagandistic. It is that China is a “communist” state. This is complete nonsense. For official China interred communism with Mao Zedong’s bones.

The second is more tangible. It is that China presents a serious threat to the North Atlantic’s traditional econo-strategic world hegemony and this threat is being posed on principles that are purely Western. China is capitalistic and militaristic through and through.

All out propaganda war

Thus, even as the 2008 games come to the end, the West continues to wage an all-out propaganda war on China. Originally, the aim was to vitiate its ability to host the Olympics and thus prevent it from making any capital from it, including through arena advertising.

China played into its adversaries’ hands by riding roughshod over Tibet only months before Beijing. The blunder is inexplicable.

But it is not lost on keen observers that the Los Angeles and Atlanta Olympics occurred in the same years that the US was committing serious acts of aggression in Latin America and Balkan Europe.

It is well known, too, that the corporations are the main spur and the primary beneficiaries of all such terroristic acts abroad. The corporations include the industries that manufacture the illicit drugs -- namely, the very people who make filthy money by selling to sportsmen and women all the energy-enhancing chemicals.

An international sporting meet should be the occasion for cultivating the spirit of comradeship and atonement. Thus the organisers should ban the Western habit of making accusations against others about crimes.

Today’s call for an Olympic spirit seems to issue from a profoundly guilty conscience by the Western corporate family, a class which — in business, politics and even sports — has shown itself utterly incapable of any form of justice.

Their “Olympic spirit” is what Wilhelm Liebknecht (referring to Bismarck’s parliament) dismissed as “the fig-leaf of absolutism” (Feigenblatt des Absolutismus), the sporting equivalent of the word “democracy” from a liberal’s mouth, the sop of economic plunder of the lower classes and weaker nations.

By Philip Ochieng, Sunday Nation,August 24th 2008

Olympics 08 - medals or world class power??

Okay so the olympics concluded last weekend and boy oh boy dint China give the world a run for their money....China is telling the Western world we were down but we were not out and we are back...so the price tag was at 43 billion okay yes take a deep breath on that one...So as I was watching the games proceed I noticed that most of the matches being aired on nbc were either where an American was participating or a Chinese chap....so it got me thiking Olympic games have become more commerical and a show of prowess than ever...Look at it thiis way it all boils down to money / funding..Okay lets take for example a small weird country on the map with an even weirder name - say Uzbekistan...with a GDP that is slightly higher than what China used in the run up to the Olympics 55billion ..Then we take a look at China and US with GDPs of 10.7 and 13.3 TRILLION...okay so many figures to deal with..okay so the four year run up to the olympics...China and the US are able to train their teams as they have the resources and the manpower and more advanced equipement in sharp contrast to the Afghani football team that is warding off bombshells...Then the other thing how it all boild down to money ..look at all the great runners of the Kenyan team who have defaulted and are runnign for European teams - Dutch, Qatar whyrun up those Rift Valley hills for peanuts instead of running for three times the amount and a better life for you and your family so it all boils down to money...so back at the ranch - birds nest this time.....the U.S and China all throught the Olympics seemed to have been involved in this struggle for gold medals...and to me it looked like a rise as the more stronger world power..Yes alot alot of training and practice went into both teams and I applaud the efforts - Phelps breaking record after record..but my problem is so what about those little countries that have such promising athletes but do not get that in depth training due to lack of resources and equipment??Okay my other problem with the Olympics so after the pomp and gay they usher in the paralympics.....okay so whats up with that picture...reminds me of the book "No feast for Kiungu"..something to do with a guy getting to the party waaay after it is done...so thats what i feel about the Paralympics as much as the initiative is great and the intentions are integrative I do not see why they should have a separate show AFTER the actual olympics...its kind of like a consolation prize so why doesnt IOC find a way of integrating the paralympics into the actual games...so anyway maybe its me just being me but i think there should be a better way of doing it....

THE MONEY MARKET

Prostitution in Africa is becoming like prostitution everywhere else.
But it was not always like that... Oumar Tandia points to another
tradition and another prostitution altogether.

Prostitution, it is said, is the oldest profession in the world. And Africa is the birthplace of humanity. It would therefore be logical to suppose that prostitution has existed in Africa since the beginning of time.

Surprisingly, then, prostitution as it is known today – selling sex for money – only appeared in Africa at the time of colonization. Before then, everything worked on an exchange basis. Even prostitution was part of an exchange: for food, protection or just for presents. In many villages in Africa this is still the case.

And today’s sexual behaviour has to be judged in the context of such traditional norms. These vary considerably, even within one country. In Senegal, for example, you can find the diola woman, who often has one or two children before marriage, or the bassari woman, who sees it as her duty to spend the night with a guest in the village. In other ethnic groups throughout Africa the social system may be matriarchal, with women having greater responsibilities and therefore greater freedom in their lives.

But European-style, money-driven prostitution is now the dominant reality in Africa. To find out how the introduction of money into the sexual bargain – combined with the economic plight of the continent – has affected prostitution in Africa today, we should take a look at the life of a young woman called Hawa.

Hawa was married at the age of 14. Her husband worked in Dakar, the capital city of Senegal, while she lived with her three children in a village about 325 kilometres away. He sent her occasional financial support but it was not enough to help her and her family survive three crop failures in a row, and one day she decided to join him. At the age of 19 this was her chance to discover the joys of the big town.

Her dream turned to nightmare as she took the first tentative steps into her brave new world. Her husband, she found, didn’t have secure employment. The arrival of Hawa and the three children simply made it more difficult to make ends meet. The final straw came when Hawa discovered that he had another child of 18 months, fruit of a liaison with a local girl.

When the divorce came through, Hawa trudged round the smart areas of town looking for work as a domestic servant. Then her youngest was struck down with tuberculosis. She turned to Marie, a sympathetic neighbour, for help, and one day Marie took her to visit ‘friends’ who would help her to buy medicines for her little girl...

One thing led to another, and Hawa fell in love with her first client. Pregnancy was followed by an illegal abortion. She finally obtained her prostitute’s ID card by sleeping with the local policeman.

In every big town in Africa there are thousands of people like Hawa. The majority of them only prostitute themselves because they can find no other way of earning money. ‘We are nothing but Khoosloman*. Like everyone else we try to bring a smile to the faces of our families... but no-one ever thinks of us,’ said one woman. Prostitutes are also subject to enormous pressure from religious culture, whether Islamic or Catholic, which seeks to prohibit prostitution and forbid unions outside marriage. In this way they try to ensure that patriarchal infrastructures remain in place.

The situation of prostitutes in Africa reflects the economic situation of the whole continent. The crisis which has marked the recent history of Third World countries has had serious consequences for their peoples. Whole swathes of the population have been installed in the informal – and unstable – economy and have become part of that sector of society which only just manages to get by.

So would prostitution disappear if the economic climate improved? Certainly not in the foreseeable future, and anyway eradication is not the issue. The urgent issue today is to ensure that prostitutes in Africa can avoid the many risks and potential tragedies that face them. These risks have been heightened by the menace of AIDS. As one woman put it: ‘AIDS has made everyone afraid... it has made our lives more difficult. We are losing more and more clients.’

In many countries in Africa prostitutes are coming together to try and discuss these problems. In Senegal, for example, our organization, ENDA, has formed a group to arm prostitutes with the tools which will enable them to educate others about safe sex. Similar debates are taking place throughout Africa – in Cameroon, Zaire, Uganda and Mali. For the first time recently, prostitutes from different African countries were able to meet at a conference in Cameroon and the idea of a pan-African organization of prostitutes was born. It has yet to happen, but it might provide a way forward for people like Hawa.

Oumar Tandia works for ENDA (Environnement et Developpment du Tiers-Monde) in Senegal.

* Khoosloman is a wolof word meaning ‘a poor person struggling to survive’.

Origin of Sagging

Many trends have come and gone, but most people are not aware of where the trend began or how long they will last. Most trends tend not to have long staying power. One trend that has had more than 10 years of popularity is sagging pants. Sagging pants is the art of wearing ones pants below the waist, usually hanging low enough to show underwear. There is some controversy as to where it started. So has the trend been popularized from behind prison walls? Or is it the influence of hip-hop?

One theory of how sagging pants originated is from prison in the 1990s. Prisoners are given oversized uniforms without belts. Belts are a popular way to commit suicide; by hanging oneself, to hang others, or to be used as a weapon in fights.

Other reason is that when they wear their pants below the waist is that it is sign that says that they are homosexual. Sagging pants were not meant to be trend for the males.

The other reason was that wearing your pants below your waist states that you were another inmate’s property. The inmate who related the story was an elderly black gentleman who had been sentenced to life in prison and had been there for over fifty years. He marveled how such a mark of shame has become a fashion statement. He says “that younger inmates don't believe him when he tells them, but swears it's the truth”.

WHAT ARE WE WORTH

Seems like this is one of those questions that people yearn to grasp an answer.What are we worth?It amazed me that most people i have asked this question look at me blankly before mentally jotting down a quick answer that has not exactly been thought up with the seriousness it needs.Morning is on our fingertips is it not?so close but yet so full of uncertainty,morning,when our eyes open again to gaze upon a better version of yesterday.What were we worth yesterday?seeing that we have seen one more beautiful morning,does our worth increase?Does my worth increase?
We are worth more than we perceive.Do you remember the day of creation according to God?What did He call us?What did He say?He termed us good,perfect to His holy eyes so why sell ourselves short?Why hesitate knowing our worth while perfection is what we were worth and what we should try to get back to.
I fail to understand the concept that holds us captive,the concept of''am i not good enough?''The concept of self doubt.We have been hurt in one way or another,betrayed,trampled and condemned.What does this do to a person?It humiliates,breaks hearts,tinkers with the mind but should it break you?Women,when a man beats you,curses you and throws you away,do you go back?Time after time if the same treatment happens,do you run back?What are you worth?
Men,when she says no,and you force your ears to hear yes,what are we worth?Even when she fails to love,doubts you,becomes a ''golddigger,''what do you do?If you are of innocence in such a situation,do you break?Do you lose hope?what becomes your worth?Are we worth more than we think we are?
Many people i am close with have seen more blue days than blue skies and subsequently doubt their worth and there is nothing as bad as thinking we are not of worth for such thought eats at the wounds of our bruised self and destroys any glimmer of hope from reaching the abyss that self doubt binds us.
Have hope.
Believe that even when the sun refuses to grace you and the rain is all that embraces you,you are still worthy,worthy to be called my son or my daughter from the Most high.

ABSOLUTE SURRENDER

“And Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it. And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Ben-hadad, Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine. And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine and all that I have”- 1Kings 20:1-4
What Ben Hadad asked was absolute surrender; and what Ahab gave was what was asked of him-absolute surrender. I want to use these words: “My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have,” as the words of absolute surrender with which every child of God ought to yield himself to his Father. We have heard it before, but we need to hear it very definitely - the condition of God’s blessing is absolute surrender of all into His hands. Praise God! If our hearts are willing for that, there is no end to what God will do for us, and to the blessing God will bestow.
Absolute surrender - let me tell you where I got those words. I used them myself often, and you have heard them numberless times. But in Scotland once I was in a company where we were talking about the condition of Christ’s Church, and what the great need of the Church and of believers is; and there was in our company a godly worker who has much to do in training workers, and I asked him what he would say was the great need of the Church, and the message that ought to be preached. He answered very quietly and simply and determinedly:
“Absolute surrender to God is the one thing.”
The words struck me as never before. And that man began to tell how, in the workers with whom he’ had to deal, he finds that if they are sound on that point, even though they be backward, they are willing to be taught and helped, and they always improve; whereas others who are not sound there very often go back and leave the work. The condition for obtaining God’s full blessing is absolute surrender to Him.
And now, I desire by God’s grace to give to you this message - that your God in Heaven answers the prayers which you have offered for blessing on yourselves and for blessing on those around you by this one demand: Are you willing to surrender yourselves absolutely into His hands? What is our answer to be? God knows there are hundreds of hearts who have said it, and there are hundreds more who long to say it but hardly dare to do so. And there are hearts who have said it, but who have yet miserably failed, and who feel themselves condemned because they did not find the secret of the power to live that life. May God have a word for all!
Let me say, first of all, that God claims it from us.
God Expects Your Surrender
Yes, it has its foundation in the very nature of God God cannot do otherwise. Who is God? He is the Fountain of life, the only Source of existence and power and goodness, and throughout the universe there is nothing good but what God works, God has created the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the flowers, and the trees, and the grass; and are they not all absolutely surrendered to God? Do they not allow God to work in them just what He pleases? When God clothes the lily with its beauty, is it not yielded up, surrendered, given over to God as He works in it its beauty? And God’s redeemed children, oh, can you think that God can work His work if there is only half or a part of them surrendered? God cannot do it. God is life, and love, and blessing, and power, and infinite beauty, and God delights to communicate Himself to every child who is prepared to receive Him; but ah! this one lack of absolute surrender is just the thing that hinders God. And now He comes, and as God, He claims it.
You know in daily life what absolute surrender is. You know that everything has to be given up to its special, definite object and service. I have a pen in my pocket, and that pen is absolutely surrendered to the one work of writing, and that pen must be absolutely surrendered to my hand if I am to write properly with it. If another holds it partly, I cannot write properly. This coat is absolutely given up to me to, cover my body. This building is entirely given up to religious services. And now, do you expect that in your immortal being, in the divine nature that you have received by regeneration, God can work His work, every day and every hour, unless you are entirely given up to Him? God cannot. The Temple of Solomon was absolutely surrendered to God when it was dedicated to Him. And every one of us is a temple of God, in which God will dwell and work mightily on one condition - absolute surrender to Him. God claims it, God is worthy of it, and without it God cannot work His blessed work in us..
God not only claims it, but God will work it Himself.
God Accomplishes Your Surrender
I am sure there is many a heart that says: “Ah, but that absolute surrender implies so much!” Someone says: “Oh, I have passed through so much trial and suffering, and there is so much of the self-life still remaining, and I dare not face the entire giving of it up, because I know it will cause so much trouble and agony.”
Alas! alas! that God’s children have such thoughts of Him, such cruel thoughts. Oh, I come to you with a message, fearful and anxious one. God does not ask you to give the perfect surrender in your strength, or by the power of your will; God is willing to work it in you. Do we not read: “It is God that worketh in us, both to will and to do of his good pleasure”? And that is what we should seek for - to go on our faces before God, until our hearts learn to believe that the everlasting God Himself will come in to turn out what is wrong, to conquer what is evil, and to work what is well-pleasing in His blessed sight. God Himself will work it in you.
Look at the men in the Old Testament, like Abraham. Do you think it was by accident that God found that man, the father of the faithful and the Friend of God, and that it was Abraham himself, apart from God, who had such faith and such obedience and such devotion? You know it is not so. God raised him up and prepared him as an instrument for His glory.
Did not God say to Pharaoh: “For this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power”?
And if God said that of him, will not God say it far more of every child of His?
Oh, I want to encourage you, and I want you to cast away every fear. Come with that feeble desire; and if there is the fear which says: “Oh, my desire is not strong enough, I am not willing for everything that may come, I do not feel bold enough to say I can conquer everything” - I pray you, learn to know and trust your God now. Say: “My God, I am willing that Thou shouldst make me willing.” If there is anything holding you back, or any sacrifice you are afraid of making, come to God now, and prove how gracious your God is, and be not afraid that He will command from you what He will not bestow.
God comes and offers to work this absolute surrender in you. All these searchings and hungerings and longings that are in your heart, I tell you they are the drawings of the divine magnet, Christ Jesus. He lived a life of absolute surrender, He has possession of you; He is living in your heart by His Holy Spirit. You have hindered and hindered Him terribly, but He desires to help you to get hold of Him entirely. And He comes and draws you now by His message and words. Will you not come and trust God to work in you that absolute surrender to Himself? Yes, blessed be God, He can do it, and He will do it.
God not only claims it and works it, but God accepts it when we bring it to Him.
God Accepts Your Surrender
God works it in the secret of our heart, God urges us by the hidden power of His Holy Spirit to come and speak it out, and we have to bring and to yield to Him that absolute surrender. But remember, when you come and bring God that absolute surrender, it may, as far as your feelings or your consciousness go, be a thing of great imperfection, and you may doubt and hesitate and say:
“Is it absolute?”
But, oh, remember there was once a man to whom Christ had said:
“If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”
And his heart was afraid, and he cried out:
“Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief.”
That was a faith that triumphed over the Devil, and the evil spirit was cast out. And if you come and say: “Lord, I yield myself in absolute surrender to my God,” even though it be with a trembling heart and with the consciousness: “I do not feel the power, I do not feel the determination, I do not feel the assurance,” it will succeed. Be not afraid, but come just as you are, and even in the midst of your trembling the power of the Holy Ghost will work.
Have you never yet learned the lesson that the Holy Ghost works with mighty power, while on the human side everything appears feeble? Look at the Lord Jesus Christ in Gethsemane. We read that He, “through the eternal Spirit,” offered Himself a sacrifice unto God. The Almighty Spirit of God was enabling Him to do it. And yet what agony and fear and exceeding sorrow came over Him, and how He prayed! Externally, you can see no sign of the mighty power of the Spirit, but the Spirit of God was there. And even so, while you are feeble and fighting and trembling, in faith in the hidden work of God’s Spirit do not fear, but yield yourself.
And when you do yield yourself in absolute surrender, let it be in the faith that God does now accept of it. That is the great point, and that is what we so often miss - that believers should be thus occupied with God in this matter of surrender. I pray you, be occupied with God. We want to get help, every one of us, so that in our daily life God shall be clearer to us, God shall have the right place, and be “all in all.” And if we are to have that through life, let us begin now and look away from ourselves, and look up to God. Let each believe - while I, a poor worm on earth and a trembling child of God, full of failure and sin and fear, bow here, and no one knows what passes through my heart, and while I in simplicity say, O God, I accept Thy terms; I have pleaded for blessing on myself and others, I have accepted Thy terms of absolute surrender - while your heart says that in deep silence, remember there is a God present that takes note of it, and writes it down in His book, and there is a God present who at that very moment takes possession of you. You may not feel it, you may not realize it, but God takes possession if you will trust Him..
God not only claims it, and works it, and accepts it when I bring it, but God maintains it.
God Maintains Your Surrender
That is the great difficulty with many. People say: “I have often been stirred at a meeting, or at a convention, and I have consecrated myself to God, but it has passed away. I know it may last for a week or for a month, but away it fades, and after a time it is all gone.”
But listen! It is because you do not believe what I am now going to tell you and remind you of. When God has begun the work of absolute surrender in you, and when God has accepted your surrender, then God holds Himself bound to care for it and to keep it. Will you believe that?
In this matter of surrender there are two: God and I - I a worm, God the everlasting and omnipotent Jehovah. Worm, will you be afraid to trust yourself to this mighty God now? God is willing. Do you not believe that He can keep you continually, day by day, and moment by moment?
Moment by moment I’m kept in His love;
Moment by moment I’ve life from above.
If God allows the sun to shine upon you moment by moment, without intermission, will not God let His life shine upon you every moment? And why have you not experienced it? Because you have not trusted God for it, and you do not surrender yourself absolutely to God in that trust.
A life of absolute surrender has its difficulties. I do not deny that. Yes, it has something far more than difficulties: it is a life that with men is absolutely impossible. But by the grace of God, by the power of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, it is a life to which we are destined, and a life that is possible for us, praise God! Let us believe that God will maintain it.
Some of you have read the words of that aged saint who, on his ninetieth birthday, told of all God’s goodness to him - I mean George Muller. What did he say he believed to be the secret of his happiness, and of all the blessing which God had given him? He said he believed there were two reasons. The one was that he had been enabled by grace to maintain a good conscience before God day by day; the other was, that he was a lover of God’s Word. Ah, yes, a good conscience is complete obedience to God day by day, and fellowship with God every day in His Word, and prayer - that is a life of absolute surrender..
Such a life has two sides - on the one side, absolute surrender to work what God wants you to do; on the other side, to let God work what He wants to do.
First, to do what God wants you to do.
Give up yourselves absolutely to the will of God. You know something of that will; not enough, far from all. But say absolutely to the Lord God: “By Thy grace I desire to do Thy will in everything, every moment of every day.” Say: “Lord God, not a word upon my tongue but for Thy glory, not a movement of my temper but for Thy glory, not an affection of love or hate in my heart but for Thy glory, and according to Thy blessed will.”
Someone says: “Do you think that possible?”
I ask, What has God promised you, and what can God do to fill a vessel absolutely surrendered to Him? Oh, God wants to bless you in a way beyond what you expect. From the beginning, ear hath not heard, neither hath the eye seen, what God hath prepared for them that wait for Him. God has prepared unheard-of-things, blessings much more wonderful than you can imagine, more mighty than you can conceive. They are divine blessings. Oh, say now:
“I give myself absolutely to God, to His will, to do only what God wants.”
It is God who will enable you to carry out the surrender.
And, on the other side, come and say: “I give myself absolutely to God, to let Him work in me to will and to do of His good pleasure, as He has promised to do.”
Yes, the living God wants to work in His children in a way that we cannot understand, but that God’s Word has revealed, and He wants to work in us every moment of the day. God is willing to maintain our life. Only let our absolute surrender be one of simple, childlike, and unbounded trust.
God Blesses When You Surrender
This absolute surrender to God will wonderfully bless.
What Ahab said to his enemy, King Ben-hadad - “My lord, O king, according to thy word I am thine, and all that I have” - shall we not say to our God and loving Father? If we do say it, God’s blessing will come upon us. God wants us to be separate from the world; we are called to come out from the world that hates God. Come out for God, and say: “Lord, anything for Thee.” If you say that with prayer, and speak that into God’s ear, He will accept it, and He will teach you what it means.s.
I say again, God will bless you. You have been praying for blessing. But do remember, there must be absolute surrender. At every tea-table you see it. Why is tea poured into that cup? Because it is empty, and given up for the tea. But put ink, or vinegar, or wine into it, and will they pour the tea into the vessel? And can God fill you, can God bless you if you are not absolutely surrendered to Him? He cannot. Let us believe God has wonderful blessings for us, if we will but stand up for God, and say, be it with a trembling will, yet with a believing heart:
“O God, I accept Thy demands. I am thine and all that I have. Absolute surrender is what my soul yields to Thee by divine grace.”
You may not have such strong and clear feelings of deliverances as you would desire to have, but humble yourselves in His sight, and acknowledge that you have grieved the Holy Spirit by your self-will, self-confidence, and self-effort. Bow humbly before him in the confession of that, and ask him to break the heart and to bring you into the dust before Him. Then, as you bow before Him, just accept God’s teaching that in your flesh “there dwelleth no good thing,” and that nothing will help you except another life which must come in. You must deny self once for all. Denying self must every moment be the power of your life, and then Christ will come in and take possession of you.
When was Peter delivered? When was the change accomplished? The change began with Peter weeping, and the Holy Ghost came down and filled his heart.
God the Father loves to give us the power of the Spirit. We have the Spirit of God dwelling within us. We come to God confessing that, and praising God for it, and yet confessing how we have grieved the Spirit. And then we bow our knees to the Father to ask that He would strengthen us with all might by the Spirit in the inner man, and that He would fill us with His mighty power. And as the Spirit reveals Christ to us, Christ comes to live in our hearts forever, and the self-life is cast out.
Let us bow before God in humility, and in that humility confess before Him the state of the whole Church. No words can tell the sad state of the Church of Christ on earth. I wish I had words to speak what I sometimes feel about it. just think of the Christians around you. I do not speak of nominal Christians, or of professing Christians, but I speak of hundreds and thousands of honest, earnest Christians who are not living a life in the power of God or to His glory. So little power, so little devotion or consecration to God, so little perception of the truth that a Christian is a man utterly surrendered to God’s will! Oh, we want to confess the sins of God’s people around us, and to humble ourselves. We are members of that sickly body, and the sickliness of the body will hinder us, and break us down, unless we come to God, and in confession separate ourselves from partnership with worldliness, with coldness toward each other, unless we give up ourselves to be entirely and wholly for God.
How much Christian work is being done in the spirit of the flesh and in the power of self! How much work, day by day, in which human energy - our will and our thoughts about the work - is continually manifested, and in which there is but little of waiting upon God, and upon the power of the Holy Ghost! Let us make confession. But as we confess the state of the Church and the feebleness and sinfulness of work for God among us, let us come back to ourselves. Who is there who truly longs to be delivered from the power of the self-life, who truly acknowledges that it is the power of self and the flesh, and who is willing to cast all at the feet of Christ? There is deliverance.
I heard of one who had been an earnest Christian, and who spoke about the “cruel” thought of separation and death. But you do not think that, do you? What are we to think of separation and death? This: death was the path to glory for Christ. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross. The cross was the birthplace of His everlasting glory. Do you love Christ? Do you long to be in Christ, and not like Him? Let death be to you the most desirable thing on earth - death to self, and fellowship with Christ. Separation - do you think it a hard thing to be called to be entirely free from the world, and by that separation to be united to God and His love, by separation to become prepared for living and walking with God every day? Surely one ought to say:
“Anything to bring me to separation, to death, for a life of full fellowship with God and Christ.”
Come and cast this self-life and flesh-life at the feet of Jesus. Then trust Him. Do not worry yourselves with trying to understand all about it, but come in the living faith that Christ will come into you with the power of His death and the power of His life; and then the Holy Spirit will bring the whole Christ - Christ crucified and risen and living in glory - into your heart.

Music Therapy

Music has always been a very important part of our lives, from childhood to our being an adult. As a part of our experience, music can have both a physiological and psychological effect upon us as human beings. In addition to the influence that it has on our life, music also has many therapeutic qualities and has been utilized in promoting a variety of healings throughout the ages. As we know further, music can be a very powerful medium for altering our state, of changing how we actually feel. More specifically music can be very effective in producing a very deep and healing state of relaxation and in the process, reduce stress and even promote sleep. Music can also be used to assist one in improving his or her self-esteem and furthering an individual’s personal growth and development, transformation.

Below are 11 helpful tips to show how to listen to music for transformation and healing. This information reveals secrets to support recovery, meditation and spiritual growth through music healing. All music can be healing especially when it is played in sequence using the entrainment principle.

1. Select Appropriate Music.

Most of us choose music that we “like” but will this give us the best results? In fact, often the music we are least attracted to will have the greatest benefit (when played in the right sequence). Let’s say you are very angry. So your first instinct is to put on some really angry music. Does it really help, or does it kind of perpetuate how you feel? Yet, on the other hand if you play some light and happy music, by comparison to how you are currently feeling, it will probably make you feel angrier! As you see, selecting music is not a simple one-shot process.

2 . Consider Music Sequencing.

Sometimes it is necessary to first choose music that totally matches your current mood rather than the mood you wish to acquire. Consider arranging a series of different musical compositions in sequence that are customized just for your needs. For example, if you are dealing with depression, select a composition which represents depression in its extreme form, to you. Follow this with one that is only mildly depressing. Then select a neutral composition, and end with a composition which is clearly uplifting and motivating. Listening to music in a sequence like this allows for your current stress level or mood to be first honored and then to be gradually transformed.

3. Speakers Are Ideal.

It is ideal to listen to the music through speakers rather than headphones so that the cells of the body themselves may “listen” to the sound.

4. Prepare Yourself to Listen.

Take off your shoes. Stand relaxed, sit or lie down and breathe.

5 . Listen All the Way Through.

It is preferable to listen to the musical composition all the way through, without interruption. This allows for the optimum response to the transformation process.

6. Foreground, Not Background.

We all have the tendency to use music for the background of other activities. Try developing the technique of just listening to the music, not doing anything else. This way, you will get the best benefit.

7. Your Response is What is Important.

It is through your response that the emotional/cellular memory may be released. Do not think that you have to just stay still and concentrate on the music! In fact, if the music inspires you to get up and do something or your mind begins to wander, allow, allow, allow! Allow all responses without judgment. On the other hand, do not begin listening to the music while you are already doing other unrelated activities. The important thing is to let the music embrace you totally.

8. Listen Actively, Not Passively.

Allow the music to reach your inner feeling, and respond freely to it. Everyone has a different manner of expression. You may experience visual images, thoughts, movement, an intensification of emotion, physical vibrations, sleep, or nothing at all.

9. Observe Mind/Body Connection.

A lot of research has been done recently showing that there is a definite connection between the mind and the body. (Actually this refers to the emotions too but it sounds succinct to say “mind/body.”) Even though music healing is often related to relaxation and emotional issues, there is the likelihood that this indirectly could have a benefit on physical illnesses as well.

10. Enjoy the Silence!

When the music stops, it is suggested that you bask in the silence for many moments. This will help integrate the feelings.

11. Use a Journal.

If you wish to record your progress in a journal, it can be helpful, but not necessary.

Reference: www.soundfeelings.com

TOP 10 LEGENDARY FOOTBALLERS

TOP 10 LEGENDARY FOOTBALLERS

In the last century, we have seen a very great number of football stars, the likes of , Garrincha, Klinsman, Stoitchkov and many others who have given the fans a whole lot to speak about.

But there are those who stand out from the rest. They have dazzled fans with their speed, dribbling skills and passion for the game. Here is our list of the top 10 legends of the last century.

10. Zinedine Zidane (1988-2006)

Whether Zinedine Zidane (1972) or Michel Platini is the greatest ever French player is up for discussion. That Zidane belongs in this list of truly great players surely isn't. The outstanding player of his generation, he led France to World Cup glory in 1998 and to the European Championship in 2000. He was a superb passer of the ball first and foremost, an outstanding playmaker that fed his forwards with great passes. But Zidane could produce goals himself as well, most notably the winning goals in the 1998 World Cup Final and the 2002 Champion’s League Final. Zidane was named European Footballer of the Year in 1998, and FIFA World Footballer of the Year in 1998, 2000, and 2003.

9. Alfredo di Stefano (1943-1966)

Two-time European Footballer of the Year, Alfredo Di Stéfano (1926) led Real Madrid to five consecutive European Cups. Incredibly versatile, many believe he is the best all-around player in history. Di Stéfano was a powerful forward blessed with stamina, tactical versatility, and above all vision that allowed him to act as the conductor to Real's symphony of attacking football. Di Stéfano won numerous domestic league and cup titles with Real, but like George Best, he never graced a World Cup. He moved to Espanyol in 1964 and played there until hanging up his boots at the age of 40.

8. Michel Platini (1973-1987)

Three times European Footballer of the year, Michel Platini (1955) led France to two World Cup semi-finals and the 1984 European Championship title. Platini started at French club Nancy-Lorraine before moving on to Saint-Etienne, where he won the league title in 1981. In 1982 he moved to Italian club Juventus. One of the greatest passers of the ball in the history of the game, Platini was also a master of the free kick, a skill which he perfected using a row of dummies during training. Despite nominally being a midfielder, Platini displayed a remarkable goalscoring prowess. He scored 68 goals in 147 league games for Juventus, and was crowned top scorer of the Serie A no less than three times.

7. George Best (1963-1984)

A superb dribbler of the ball, George Best (1946) was undoubtedly the most naturally gifted British player of his generation. A combination of lightning pace, perfect balance, and ability to produce goals with both feet, meant Best was a handful for even the best of defenders. Helping Man U win the European Cup in 1968 was his greatest achievement. That year Best was voted European Player of the Year. But in the years to follow Best the player would increasingly be eclipsed by Best the rock and roll celebrity, as problems with gambling, womanising and alcoholism overshadowed his achievements on the field. In 1974 Best left Manchester United, effectively ending his career at the highest level (although he would play on until 1984).

6. Eusebio (1958-1978)

Eusébio da Silva Ferreira (1942) won 10 Portuguese league titles, plus the 1962 European Cup with Benfica, scoring two goals in the final. He virtually single-handedly took Portugal to third place in the 1966 World Cup, scoring nine goals. Eusebio's trademarks were his speed (he was the under-19 Portuguese champion of 400, 200 and 100 metre races), quick dribble and a powerful and accurate right-footed strike. Eusébio scored an incredible 727 goals in 715 matches wearing the Benfica jersey, and until recently was the all-time leading scorer for Portugal, with 41 goals in 64 matches.

5. Franz Beckenbauer (1964-1984)

This list of top 10 greatest ever football players is heavily biased towards forwards, as all these kind of lists tend to be. We make no apologies for that as it is those players that bring joy to the crowds all over the world with their goals and artistry. However, this list would not be complete without Franz Beckenbauer (1945). Nicknamed ‘der Kaiser’, Beckenbauer was the mainstay of Bayern Munich’s triple European Cup winning team of the mid Seventies. He also captained his country to the 1974 World Cup, held in Germany. An elegant sweeper, Beckenbauer was known for his outstanding technique and tactical insight. As a manager, he steered the German national side towards their 1990 World Cup win in Italy.

4. Ferenc Puskas (1944-1966)

Ferenc Puskás (1927) was the outstanding player of the marvelous Hungarian national team of the early 1950s. In 1952 they had won Olympic Gold in Helsinki and the "Magical Magyars" arrived at the 1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland undefeated in four years. Their most resounding victory to date had been achieved the previous year when they were the first non-british team to defeat England at Wembley. In one of the great upsets of football history, Hungary were pipped at the post by Germany, with Puskas playing in spite of an injury picked up early on in the tournament. Puskas fled Hungary in the wake of the Soviet invasion of 1956 and went on to play for Real Madrid well into his 30's. At Madrid he teamed up with the likes of Di Stefano and Gento to win numerous trophies.

3. Johan Cruyff (1964-1984)

Johan Cruyff (1947) was the star of the exciting 1974 Dutch "Total Football" World Cup team and the Ajax team that won a hat-trick of European Cups in the early Seventies. Three times European footballer of the year, he was by far the most naturally gifted European player of his generation, and probably of all time. His supreme technical skills, speed and acceleration, and his tactical insights made Cruyff virtually impossible to defend against. Wearing his trademark Nr.14 jersey, he usually played the centre forward position, but would often drop deep or move to the wing to confuse and draw out his markers. The tremendous tactical insight he had already displayed as a player, meant that Cruyff was one of the few players in this top 10 that would go on to become a world class coach. In 1992 his Barcelona side would win the first European Cup in the club's history, making Cruyff one of the few people to have won the prestigious trophy both as a coach and as a player.

2. Diego Maradona (1976-1997)

Diego Maradona (1960) won the 1986 World Cup almost single-handedly and took Argentina to the final four years later. He also took un fancied Napoli to its only two Italian titles. Maradona was controversially voted best player of all time in an internet poll held by FIFA, much to the chagrin of Pelé and his fans, who contended that an internet poll was bound to attract relatively young voters. People that would have seen Maradona play, but not Pelé. Truth be told, the title of greatest ever player was probably a bit too much credit. However, no one would surely deny Maradona was the best ever dribbler of the bal. He proved as much, when he scored what was arguably the greatest ever World Cup goal in 1986. Maradona picked up the ball on the halfway line and promptly proceeded to leave half the England team for dead before slotting the ball into the net. That game was also the one in which he scored his infamous 'Hand of God' goal. The incident soiled his reputation. All the more so, because he repeatedly refused to admit openly to handling the ball. In the nineties his career hit a downward trajectory.

1. Pelé (1956-1977)

Obviously not the most original of choices as greatest ever football player, but there is no denying Pelé’s pedigree. Edson Arantes do Nascimento (1940) made his debut in the Brazilian league at the age of 16, and promptly went on to become the league’s top scorer. His overwhelming debut earned him a place in Brazil’s 1958 World Cup squad, where Pelé and his team-mates ended up lifting the trophy. Pelé scored two goals in the final, as the world sat up and took notice. At age 17 Pele was (and is to this very day) the youngest ever World Cup winner. His impact on the 1962 and 1966 tournaments was negligible due to injuries, but at the 1970 World Cup Pelé once again shone resplendently. Playing in what many consider to be the greatest ever football team, Pelé was universally acknowledged as the world’s best player. His deft touch, dribbling skills and tremendous scoring ability, would see him notching up more than 500 league goals. In 1975 Pelé joined the North American Soccer League, where he became a goodwill ambassador for football. It’s a role he has been playing ever since.

Reference: www.football-history.net