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One of the most memorable missions that I have ever participated in was the Meru mission in my college years. There were long distances to walk but unforgettable encounters with a warm and welcoming people. Of the many ‘culture shocks I experienced, one still stands out in my mind to this day. Whenever we ventured into a homestead and the ‘man of the home’ agreed to meet with us, he would require his entire extended family to stop whatever they were doing and gather immediately to listen to what we had to say. I am not sure that it was the right way but many people came to know the Good News this way. In Genesis 18 we read how Abraham pleaded with God not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.  It was a wicked city in the eyes of God in almost all respects.  In the midst of this interesting conversation, God reveals why He chose Abraham.  Genesis 18:16-19 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. Th

Daniel was barely a teenager when King Nebuchadnezzar, the most powerful king at the time invaded his country and carried off a bunch of survivors to Babylon. In exile, Daniel stood out for his devotion to his God, his discipline and for his qualities as an effective administrator. In King Nebuchadnezzar's well-organized bureaucracy he was a fast rising star. In chapter 2 of the Book of Daniel, he faces an unprecedented crisis that has ramifications for him personally as well as for the entire Babylonian administration. Take a break now and read the full chapter before proceeding. Am watching  👀 So what was the crisis and are there lessons that we can glean from the bible on how to wade through crises in the marketplace? Daniel 2:1, 5 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. The king said to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpre

Manasseh had two notable things that characterised his rule as outlined in II Kings 21. 1) He ascended the throne as a teenager and went on to become Israel's longest serving king. 2) He turned out to be one of the vilest individuals in the chronology of Israel's godless leaders. Manasseh desecrated the temple and led the nation in worshipping Molech who required child sacrifice, Ashera the fertility god whose veneration comprised disgusting sexual perversions and dabbled in astrology among other forbidden things. In addition he committed murder at a scale never seen before and had spiritists, mediums and sorcerers as advisors. As a result of his sins with which he led the nation astray, God determined to destroy the Jewish nation. Eventually they were exiled to Babylon. Manasseh himself was captured by Assyrian commanders who tortured and humiliated him by dragging him into exile with hooks pierced through his nose. Here was a man condemned to pain and death for h

  Now King David was told, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing.  David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might.. 2 Samuel 6:12, 14, 20-22  When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!” David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this , and I will be humiliated in my own eyes... Now back in the days we used to sing a song based on this passage;  I will become even more

Psalm 43:5 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. The Psalmist talks to himself in a moment of depression. “Why are you downcast, O my soul...why so disturbed..?” In other words, “…why am I feeling so low…my heart is not at peace!” This is called self-talk. The statement is repeated in 42:11 so the Psalmist must really have been feeling it. Ever felt this way? I certainly do from time to time. And unless you are one of those irrepressible sanguines, eternally optimistic, you certainly have come across the ‘ black ’ times.   Sometimes it is related to some circumstance and sometimes there isn’t anything in particular that one can relate the feeling to. However what is important in every instance of depressive self-talk is what you tell yourself next. The Psalmist immediately continues, “…put your hope in God...” I dare say that is the most important favour one ca

Five women are mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus; Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary. What is the common thread that ties these women? Why of all the other mothers in the lineage of Jesus are they the only ones picked out for honorable mention? Now one would expect that the lineage of the Messiah should consist only of 'good stock' seeing that the Messiah is considered King of the Jews. Not so with the biblical record. Unlike other holy books that embellish the record of their heroes, the Bible is unflinchingly candid in its details. Thus a second look at the women above will reveal that each had a touch of scandal. Tamar had a rather umm, interesting past. In Genesis 38 we see her losing two husbands in quick succession and then schemes to get herself pregnant by her father-in-law. She disguised herself as a prostitute and then solicited sex from her father-in-law! The (not so good) result is that she bore twins and one of them (Perez), fell smack in the line