Her name begins with C

I awoke to a list of alliterations to describe this person whose life was marred by tragedy but chose to continue a life of service and commitment to a cause beyond herself. A dedication to she who-must-not-be-named, in a covert mission that costs her life if convicted.

Carats in the making

C – a woman of Courageous , Compassionate and Creative faith. Though her Cherished Co-partner left her a Confronting legacy to Complete, she has more than stepped up to her Calling. As for the Covid Crisis, they pale in Comparison to the Challenges she face. May her Consuming passion Compel many to Collaborate and Configure their lives to the Father’s Constant Call. Her Certain Compensation is the Crown of glory for the Communities and Cities that she has impacted and a Confluence of Crowds applauding that Coronation. It will indeed be a Celebration for overComers Complementing the Commitment of Christ followers.

Christmas blessings and 2018 New Year’s favour

Preceding each new year is Christ’s birth

Pointing out that first and foremost

God’ best gift is life to a darkened earth

His Promise inspires hope so we can boast

Good will and greetings weaves cheery joy

Into the traditional meaning for the season

In the barrage of e-greetings is a ploy

As God’s prompting for words defies reason

Behind the wishes is A prayer for each one

That as the new year and phase begins

May it be Profitable so hearts are won

As investments and rewards bring gain

May it be Purposeful and bring delight

so our giftings and abilities will transform

Communities built that reveal His might

Hearts calm and faithful amidst the storm

May it be Peaceful as we draw strength

the Prince of Peace reigns over conflicts

He will be adding years to our lives’ length

As we coexist with lunatics from home to politics!

⭐️greeting was inspired by a prompting of 3 “P”s for an individual.

Lamentations

My lamentation is modeled after Psalms 13:3

“Restore sight to my eyes!

Otherwise, I’ll sleep the sleep of death..”

 

God of good gifts and strengths

I can’t see what is ahead

I know my life is too short to waste

Life has passed by with such haste

 

 

How can I grow and flourish

To the ways you have called me

I took the strength finder test

Only to find strife and unrest

 

I see my strength as my weakness

Frustration at who I am not

How I can I really have more impact

Is it inertia or do I face facts?

 

That I battle with low confidence

Struggle with Influence and Calling

Low ambition and lack of focus

Or is this all hocus-pocus?

 

 

Do I live the dream that You give

That I can be all that I ‘m meant to be

Pushing all the boundaries and walls

Only that it can make me fall

 

 

God of good gifts and strengths

Surely You have a Divine Plan

That who I am will count

Because You’re that Fount

 

 

Of Life and refreshing water

Show me what that means

For the direction of my journey

So my life will truly be Your story.

As I write this lamentation, I am amused because the radio came on with a song from Bruno Mars with these lyrics that I felt was one of God’s humourous quips for me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjhCEhWiKXk

When I see your face

There’s not a thing that I would change

‘Cause you’re amazing

Just the way you are

‘Cause you’re amazing

Just the way you are

Year of the rooster 2017

2017 – THE YEAR OF THE ROOSTER>

The Rooster – the only bird species included in the zodiac lineup.

A year that is fraught with uncertainty  lies ahead. The lunar New year beckons a traditional celebration where the animals of zodiac signs are symbolically represented to herald the coming events to come and to predict the fortunes of disparate characters. This sign influences the general attributes of personalities .

We begin the year – ” Pray against all fowl play …foul in every sense of the word!” We wish no ill to the rest of the flock from  birds of prey.

A call to say:

NO to hen-pecking !

NO to being stuck in a coop !

NO to the flock of gathered birds of a feather !

All bringing to mind images of social disruption and relational upheaval – from the stress of brooding chicks to the isolation of feathered friends. Relevant for all young , hot chicks in the making  to mature broiler hens. Not quite the picture of nurturing hens gathering chicks under her wings.

As keen observers of life like ornithologists in their profession,  we gather some age old biblical wisdom to extricate some distinctive qualities of the rooster.

The rooster has understanding – we think punctuality and loyalty. It doesnt just wing it.It probably has understanding of when to crow . It knows its purpose and reason for being and tirelessly crows timelessly.

The strutting rooster described as stately in their stride – misunderstood as proud ,arrogant and cocky ! It probably  has presence , quiet ministering presence that brings a calm to the flock, a pacifying force.

The rooster that crowed three times before Peter’s denial – it heralded the exposure of a core belief and action that did not align. That crow call that brought  an immense wave of the Lord’s compassion and redemptive process for him – he had chickened out but that was not the end. It was the beginning.

What could the Year of the rooster herald ? Perhaps there is a “wake up” call for all of us – A call to service , a call to to  bear , believe and endure all things of each other in love.

A call to  presence….being available

A call and a gentle invitation for our character to be transformed.

A call to  so much more in our journey ahead

2017 – A Happy Chinese New Year awaits – The rooster crows:   Cocka-doodle – doo !

Bible verses  from :

Job 38:36

Who gives the ibis wisdom or gives the rooster understanding?

Proverbs 30:31

“There are three things that are stately in their stride,
four that move with stately bearing:
30 a lion, mighty among beasts,
who retreats before nothing;
31 a strutting rooster, a he-goat,
and a king secure against revolt.

Matthew 26:34

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

Matthew 23:36 -37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.

My lifetime achievements in a year

My tiny achievements, I must celebrate…Tiny steps I’ve taken, O The chains I ‘ve to break.

Guess not many will see ,the turmoil and the thrill, of being an overcomer.

Painful steps to die to self, wearies me as I strive, amidst the criticisms of the path I choose.

The fears surround me -what ought to right, can the path ahead be illuminated by light, making the journey ahead bright 

Those whom I love hurt me most, feels like I’m still a disappointment, I close my ears to hear Him.

I’m a lesser being in comparison;my weakness fails me as I’m put in the light of cold reason… Such treason.

I seek to be understood yet I should be understanding, should I subject myself to the commands and voices that seek control.

I take refuge in the One who hears, for to Him I’m very dear,  I press on so I can be very clear.

I hear this-have cause to celebrate, to rejoice, to delight in blessings, to choose life and give thanks for the achievements.

I celebrate my personal life time awards of this year, my little achievements, the prizes I give myself. Self congratulatory speeches and vertical adulation to the One who made it possible:

1. The launch into further study…an intense steady pace. Surpassing my expectations with distinct grades inspite of imited resources.

2. Duplicating leaders and groups that would draw more to connecting with the Lord and each other.

3. Initiating trips that would take me beyond my comfort zone… To parts rural and remote and to urban spaces. Solo traveling that would form connections and reacquaint old friendships. Deepening my perspective that I may participate in transforming communities.

4. Income producing activities and opportunities that came to me and yielded payments that exceeded projections. The Lord who blessed…Stretching my awareness of skills unknown.

5. Generous Financial giving to causes beyond my comfortable and insular bubble. I’m enriched and can proclaim I’m rich in the Lord. 

6. The joy of seeing the legacy of faith and hope passed on… The offspring demonstrating a largesse in heart that was passionate for orphans and children in need.

I could count on for this year, my life extraordinaire, for my portion in the land of the living…..

Surely, the awards continue and I can reap the benefits. Though it may not seem like much, I’ve come a long way…

Psalms 141-142 
141 O LORD, I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you. 2 May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. 3 Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. 4 Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies. 5 Let a righteous man strike me-it is a kindness; let him rebuke me-it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it. Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers; 6 their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs, and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken. 7 They will say, “As one plows and breaks up the earth, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave. ” 8 But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge-do not give me over to death. 9 Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, from the traps set by evildoers. 10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety. 
142 I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy. 2 I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble. 3 When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way. In the path where I walk men have hidden a snare for me. 4 Look to my right and see; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life. 5 I cry to you, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” 6 Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. 7 Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.

Strength to stretch

Stretch , push and shove to go against the odds

Extend your limits and go the extra mile

Stepping up with self flagellating rods

Going on even with the put on smile

 

My path paved with unmet expectations

Such  is the reality I need to face

The hollow and shame  of my inattention

Words have silenced me to my disgrace

 

Pain from the burning sting and brutality

Stirs me to retreat to my inner world

Life saps from me all my vitality

And I in my foetal position curled

 

I wonder if I am truly loved

Those who surround me near and dear

Days when I feel pushed and shoved

Instead of  breaking out in good cheer

 

I need all the strength You can give

Help me stretch to embrace the life

You have called me to forgive and live

Even if I can’t understand the strife.

 

 

 

Psalm 22:19

19 But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
You are my strength; come quickly to help me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recalibrate

Raced through the corridors of life… A quick Review

Slow start to Reaching milestones.. Rejection’s stop buttons

Youth marked with radical impulses.. Redeemer’s gift

Or midlife with Roaring hormones.. God still Reigns

 

Review of past Regrets and needing Restoration.. Painful Reminders

Time out to Repose, Repair and Rejuvenate…I need this

The half century mark brings Renaissance.. It’s deliberate

Resetting goals and Renewal of perspectives.. Need right relationships
It’s Recalibration without Retaliation.. Hit the pause button

Time out From Reality and Regaining strength.. No Responsibilities

Can I Recapture my youth and Relaunch? .. Just to be me

Recalculate and Realign direction.. Who can I count on?
From Recluse to Recognisable and Regal.. My journey continues.

I Relinquish my Rights to Routine and Regiment

I Revel in the moment.. Free from Requests

Releasing Random creativity and taking Rare glimpses into my soul.
😄😄😄😄🎼🎼🎼🎼💃💃💃💃👸👸👸👸🙋🙆💁🙅👠👑💅✍️

Of Memories

Capturing memories…. an illusive act; sometimes deliberately evasive

All because memories are painful , powerful, perplexing

Additionally   pathetic, perverse , private

Some are precious,provocative and poignant

 

Memories ……….revealing what can be perturbing

Plainly and simply this – a playground for the psyche

Make the perfect peaceable candidate for the Psychoanalyst

They lie twisted in strands of pensive pessimism

 

Memories ………pondered and shared

Pre-emptive action to prevent further pain

Until Prominent He comes with peremptory commands and tones

Prying , persistent , patronising and paternal

 

He promises to be patient and prudent

Principled but apolitical and pierces those memories

Perforates with alternate perspective and purity

Pleasantly discover that He is particularly passionate and positive..

 

Until I reach perfection , I am a work in progress

Permitting memories to point out truths

I remain prayerful and participate in pondering

the memories that function to propel me forward in living purposefully.

 

Memories

 

Blessings come through rain drops?

 

A random song that came through an online streaming channel  – Was this God’s way of speaking ?  Surely , it can’t be such a coincidence that it conveys my thoughts  with exactitude and  articulating my feelings with such precision.

A song that combined my study of Job’s suffering and my study of Psalms that speaks  universally as timeless classics do.

A song that speaks to my fragmented soul.

A song that speaks to me in my waiting.

A song that speaks of a faithful God.

Yet I can only see the blessings that may come through my tear drops, the turmoil in my heart and the sleepless nights

The endless “what-if “s and the imagined scenarios

Perhaps this is how faith works….all because  Someone is faithful.

  Blessings  

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

‘Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we’d have faith to believe

‘Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not,
This is not our home
It’s not our home

‘Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

Psalm 27 :13 Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness
while I am here in the land of the living.

My reflection – Year of the monkey 2016

Another year passes by and I pause to take time to reflect on this auspicious Chinese new year of the monkey. What has it meant for me and what will I make of it? Life keeps swinging on at quick paces but I utter a prayer that would help me with my insights as I cling on to threads of revealed wisdom.

 

My first and foremost prayer is that my household will not be a “monkey house” or end up end up being one. A monkey house is not just an enclosure and a home for zoo monkeys but it alludes to buildings and institutions housing humans with monkey–like antics. May my home not be a place of confusion or unending strife but an oasis, a peaceful dwelling place for the manifest presence of the Most High … A place for safe communication and authentic dialogues. A freedom and a liberty to express our true selves within established boundaries.

 

The start to the year has been extremely difficult as I “go ape” with the outrageous behaviours of certain co-habitants and primates. It seems that people been made a monkey out of me and the sense of pervasive foolishness I feel with my stand on issues , on life , on parenting and on certain principles that I hold dear to. No to temper tantrums! No to “monkey wrenching” strategies and set plans! No to any form of “monkey business” that would disrupt!

 

 

My second prayer is that we will together as a household or as a community help each other get rid of unneeded lingering habits, negative thoughts and behaviours that would disrupt the our strength in unity. It becomes our individual responsibility to serve each other with our bestowed giftings and grow in gracious love. “Hear no evil , see no evil and speak no evil ” embodied the wisdom of the three wise monkeys who appropriately used this  strategy in dealing with life’s issues. Blame games, finger pointing and toxic accusations will only degenerate into a pointless, poisonous war of words.

It seems that “this monkey on my back “ will continue to be a burden until I break that vicious cycle of thought and attitude. I want to be the person who will continue to live by the grace of God. I am so acutely aware of my imperfections, yet I rest in who I am in Christ. Well, “monkey see, monkey do” and it might be a long process before that circle of influence has an effect. “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!,” if I can see change in the immediate foreseeable future. I take courage and gather hope that someday I can set a legacy of positive action amidst the path of much resistance.

 

 

My third and final prayer for myself and for everyone around me is that in life, we will have” more fun than a barrel of monkeys.” How wonderful to be purveyors of joy – live life to the full! Love without inhibition, dance to the rhythms of life and sing with heartfelt passion. Sparkling with enthusiasm and a zest for life, we would enjoy what we purposefully set out to do. No to “monkeying around with“ the trivial and the insignificant things that consume and drain my energy. How fabulous to relish flavoursome food , savour the exquisite taste of wine, laugh out loud with clever, stimulating conversation, music to enrich my days , link arms with like-minded individuals … That I may expand my potential and live like I am meant to live.

 

 

In writing this, I recommend the reflections on the year of the monkey found on this website http://kkdiocese.net/soccom2013/reflection-on-the-year-of-the-monkey/. May I never recourse to ugliness and trickery but be resolute in my recourse to God for strength. In this journey, may I meet you – me monkey mate ! Scratch my back and I‘ll scratch yours. 🙂