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A very sad story

Posted on 1 min read

In a book I am reading, Philip Yancey tells a very sad, but true story.

A prostitute came to me in wretched straits, homeless, sick, unable to buy food for her two-year-old daughter. Through sobs and tears, she told me she had been renting out her daughter two years old to men interested in kinky sex. She made more renting out her daughter for an hour than she could earn on her own in a night. She had to do it, she said, to support her own drug habit. I could hardly bear hearing her sordid story. For one thing, it made me legally liable—I’m required to report cases of child abuse. I had no idea what to say to this woman.

At last I asked if she had ever thought of going to a church for help. I will never forget the look of pure, naive shock that crossed her face. “Church!” she cried. “Why would I ever go here? I am already feeling terrible about myself. They’d just make me feel worse.”

What struck him about the story is that women much like this prostitute fled toward Jesus, not away from him. The worse a person felt about herself, the more likely she saw Jesus as a refuge. Has the church lost that gift? Evidently the down-and-out, who flocked to Jesus when he lived on earth, no longer feel welcome among his followers.

What has happened?

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The Zebra Question

I asked the zebra
Are you black with white stripes?
Or white with black stripes?
And the zebra asked me,
Are you good with bad habits?
Or are you bad with good habits?
Are you noisy with quiet times?
Or are you quiet with noisy times?
Are you happy with some sad days?
Or are you sad with some happy days?
Are you neat with some sloppy ways?
Or are you sloppy with some neat ways?
And on and on and on and on
And on and on he went.
I’ll never ask a zebra
About stripes
Again.


Poem by Shel Silverstein

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61 Year Old Potato Farmer who Won an Ultra Marathon

Posted on 2 min read

One day in 1983, several young guys in their 20s and 30s gathered in Westfield Sydney. These were guys in the prime of their lives, hardened by years of training, donned with the best sporting gear and accessories, ready to take the challenge, an ultra marathon.

The Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultra Marathon is one of the longest races on earth, one that requires the best of the best. Athletes compete to finish the 875 Km race, which often take more than five days to complete. It is a race not just for runners, but for super humans who have the energy and guts to run for days. Only the best of the best would attempt the Sydney to Melbourne ultramarathon, but in this specific race, there was one problem.

Standing among these super humans on the lineup was Cliff Young. Cliff Young was a 61 year old toothless potato farmer, who showed up dressed in overall and gumboots. The media covering the event dismissed the old potato farmer with one look, and as soon as the starting pistol went off, everyone sprinted off while old Cliff Young ran at a slow, loping pace, much to the amusement of those who had gathered to watch. By the end of the first day, the potato farmer trailed the runners by a big margin.

Five days, 15 hours and 4 minutes later, the 61 year old Cliff Young was the first to cross the finishing line in Melbourne, beating the second contestant by ten hours, and setting a new record for the ultra marathon. The tortoise had beaten the hare! How did this happen?

Very simple. Cliff Young was no ordinary 61 year old, but a hardened farmer who would often run for 3 continuous days in a 2000 acre ranch, herding over 2000 sheep. Without the luxury of SUVs or horses, Cliff Young would spend days running in the farm to round up the animals, running day and night. In the race, while all runners ran for 18 hours and rested for 6 hours, the potato farmer ran all day and night, because he did not know that they were supposed to rest! Neither did he know that there was prize for the winner, and rejected the 10,000 $ prize, instead sharing it with all the other six participants who completed the race.

A few lessons to learn from Cliff Young:

  • It is not how you start a race, but how you finish it.
  • Endurance can take you further than most people expect of you.
  • Believe in yourself. The media and spectators had dismissed Cliff Young.
  • Build the right disciplines in life. You never know where you might need them.

That is the story of Cliff Young; the potato farmer who won the Sydney to Melbourne ultramarathon.

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Is Prophet Dr Owuor a false prophet?

Posted on 1 min read


The main problem we have in the church is ascertaining whether most of the churches are genuine or not and whether many of the so called men of God are real or crooks. It is not a surprise that these questions are asked; Jesus already prophesied that in the last days there would come many false prophets.
I prefer not to go into details on whether he is a true prophet or not, but would instead recommend that you look at it yourself. The arguments that arise on his authenticity range from the weird manifestation of the working of the Holy Spirit, questionable cases of healing, flashy lifestyle (chase cars and security), unfulfilled prophecies, his titles (mightiest prophet), and most of all the cultic nature of the repentance and Holiness ministry which is associated with him.
The standard tests to ascertain his authenticity are in the Bible, don’t look any further. The Bible asks us to test the Spirits, and we shall know them by their fruits. Check the fruits and see if they are genuine. Don’t look at the miracle works; the Bible has already said that many will claim to have done many things in his names, but Christ doesn’t know them. Miracle works can also emanate from the kingdom of darkness.
Still googling to find out if prophet Dr Owuor is a true prophet? Know your faith, and you shall find the answer.

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PSALM 23

Posted on 2 min read

Psalm 23 is my favorite Psalm. I read and recite it over and over because of the lessons that keep popping up.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, i’ll fear no evil

Psalm 23:4

Valley of Death

Although creativity and diction are a few of the many tools that any poet or writer must have, the psalmist was many a times writing from personal experience. I imagine that as a shepherd, David, perhaps, had to pass through this place several times. Might be you don’t now that the valley of the shadow of death was a physical location, somewhere between Jericho and Jerusalem. (Did the guy, rescued by the Good Samaritan, meet his fate here?)

The valley of the shadow of death is a ravine overhung by high precipitous cliffs, filled with dense forest, and well calculated to inspire dread to the timid and afford a covert to beasts of prey. I imagine the ‘foolish’ sheep straying from their good shepherd, David, and going into this place, and the shepherd had to follow them and ensure that each one of them went back home safely.

He could not stand the wrath of his father or domineering brothers by going home having lost some few sheep. Here, danger lurked, not just to the sheep, but the shepherd as well.

Bravery

David was a brave man, really brave. In the battle field, he had told Saul that ‘when a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep… I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it’ (1 Samuel 17:34).

But in the 23rd psalm, David explains the source of his great courage and strength- the fact that his shepherd was watching after him. He says ‘the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine,’ (1 Sam 17:37). His great faith in God made him to be the bravest warrior among all the Israelites gathered in the valley of Elah.

My Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd. But like the foolish sheep which would walk through the dangerous valley and survive just because they had a tough shepherd, I also survive through many dangerous and hard moments by the grace of God.

From Psalm 23, I know that it is not about me, but about my shepherd, and though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…

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Creating a Blog or a Simple Website

Posted on 2 min read


If you know how to use Microsoft Office, then you can create a blog or a simple website. The initial set up can be a little bit technical, but your hosting service provider can help you do that.  What you will then focus on is writing and posting articles, which you should do without much difficulty.
But first, there are a few things you should know: 
Domain name: refers to the address that people will use to access your blog/website (URL). A domain name is something like www.example.comor www.google.com. Domains are usually sold by domain registrars, and you pay an annual fee to own the domain. The cost is ranges from 5 to 15 USD per year (on average). 
Web hosting: This is the service that allows you place your articles somewhere they can be accessed from the internet. You can think of it as a flash disk that is accessible from the internet, unlike one plugged in your computer which cannot be accessed outside the computer. Web hosting companies provide hosting space and charge an annual fee for hosting services, although there are free services that are features.
In most cases, the web hosting service provider provides both domain name and web hosting service. A good example is Truehost Cloud. Click HERE to see their page.
Now that you know the terms, here are four simple steps to creating a blog or a simple website.

  1. Choose a domain, and a name for your blog/website. An example here is the blog under the name ‘Wanjiru Kihusa – A Better You’ and whose domain name is www.wanjirukihusa.com. 
  2. Find a suitable service provider who will host your website. A good recommendation is Truehost Kenya who can assist you set up your blog or your website. 
  3.  Go to hosting and domain name provider and buy the domain and also get yourself the hosting service. In most cases, they will help you set up and configure these. 
  4.  Follow the directions provided and you will be ready to start posting. You can get a lot of email, chat and phone support if you use Truehost Cloudas your webhosting and domain name provider.

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