LOVE DARe: Day 9

Love makes good impressions.

The state of a couple's relationship can be discerned in the way they greet one another.

Greeting ones spouse may seem inconsequential but it carries surprising significance.

Ones spouse deserve politeness and acknowledgement.

Adding warmth and enthusiasm gives one the chance to touch a mate's heart in subtle, unspoken ways.

Being nice: 

The first thing I say to my wife when I wake in the morning is significant;

The look on my face when I get in the car speaks volume;

The energy in my voice when I speak to her on the phone sets the mood.

I must learn to act in a way that everything I say and do express the fact that I am really, really glad to be with my wife. 

A simple word, a touch, a tone of voice makes all the difference.

I will seek every opportunity (and on a regular basis) to bless and greet my wife.

Love is a choice!

LOVE DARe: Day 8

Love is not jealous.

Love is not selfish.

Love puts others first.

Love refuses to let jealousy in.

Envy leads to fighting, quarreling, and every evil thing (James 3:16; 4:1-2).

Love ought to lead me to celebrate my wife's successes rather than resent them.

I pray that Love make me see my wife as completing me, not competing with me.

As a loving husband I dare to cheer my wife when she wins.

I must learn not to compare my weaknesses to her strengths.

LOVE DARe: Day 7

Love believes the BEST.

Two rooms sit deep in my heart: Appreciation room and Depreciation room. 

I visit both rooms at different times. 

I started walking into the Appreciation room the day I first met my wife.

In deed I started posting kind words and phrases describing her good attributes.

Over the years since we got married, I visit this room occasionally.

But with passing days I have become a frequent visitor to the Depreciation room which is further down the darker part of the hallway.

This where I have posted all of my disappointments with my wife.

The hurts, unkind words , frustrations are also on the wall of this room.

Her weaknesses and failures are written in bold letters.

This is where the big guns of revenge are stored for the next fight.

Some unpleasant words and even hateful ones found their way in.

Since love chooses to believe the best, I choose to no longer make the Depreciation room my abode.

I will not be running to this room any time I am frustrated or hurt by my wife.

The Appreciation room from this day becomes my permanent residence.

I choose to love and be praying for wife without denying the existence of the Depreciation room. 

I must begin to get into the habit of reining my negative thoughts and teach myself to focus on the positive attributes of my wife.

It is time to let love lead my thoughts and my focus.

LOVE DARe: Day 6

Love is not irritable. 

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city (Prov. 16:32).

Love is hard to offend and quick to forgive.

As a loving husband, I will remain calm and patient, showing mercy and restraining my temper.

I must learn to be a joy and not a jerk!

I choose to be a calming breeze and not a storm waiting to happen !

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34).

I will teach myself to respond to my wife with patience and encouragement rather than anger and exasperation.

LOVE DARe: Day 5

Love is not rude.

Love is not unpleasant, condescending, unbecoming, embarrassing, or irritating! 

In this dare I learn that I need to intentionally behave in away that is pleasant for my wife to be around.

I must, at all cost, avoid things that frustrate her or cause her discomfort.

I must mind my manners.

I must dare to give my best to my own. 

Love is not rude but lifts me to a higher standard.

I dare to be delightful!

I must be gracious.

LOVE DARe: Day 4

Love that is not selfish is Thoughtful.

Thoughtlessness is a silent enemy to a loving relationship.

I am reminded of when I fell in love with Mary, being thoughtful came quite naturally.

For some reasons I now spend more time thinking about my problems, my personal desires, myself.

I must rekindle the ember of thoughtfulness.

I will endeavor to learn how my wife uniquely thinks.

Instead of "ready, shoot, aim", I will engage my mind first before engaging my lips!

Cleric defrocked for satanism claims: The Presbyterian Church of East Africa on Thursday defrocked a former moderator

The Daily Nation POSTED  THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2014 |  BY- OUMA WANZALA

The Presbyterian Church of East Africa on Thursday defrocked a former moderator after he claimed the church was riddled with devil worship and homosexuality.

A statement by the church’s decision making body, the business committee, read by moderator David Gathanju said Dr David Githii would no longer be referred to as reverend.

Dr Githii was directed to surrender church vestments, but will remain an ordinary member.

“The Kajiado Presbytery defrocked him as per the procedure of the church. The church had already received his resignation letter and decided to let him go. We have endorsed his defrocking,” the Rev Gathanju said.

Dr Githii, however, insisted his allegations were true and that the church had resorted to defrocking clerics who dared talk about the vices.

“What I said is true. Devil worship has been practised in the church since the 1990s while homosexuality has been rife since 2001,” he said.

Several clerics in the church were aware of the problems but dared not say anything, Dr Githii claimed.

NEVER MADE ALLEGATIONS IN ANY COMMITTEE

The Rev Gathanju, however, maintained neither devil worship nor homosexuality were practised at the church and that anyone found engaging in the practices would be expelled.

He said Dr Githii had never made his allegations in any committee or court of the church.

“We are aware that Dr Githii made several assertions in regard to what he termed ‘satanic symbols’ in our church and even government institutions. These are his personal opinions that the church found to have no biblical or theological basis.”

When Dr Githii succeeded the Rev Dr Jesse Kamau as PCEA moderator in 2003, he changed the method of worship to become “more agreeable to the modern Christian community”.

He also linked some symbols in the church to Freemasonry and devil worship, leading to their destruction at St Andrews Church, Nairobi, in 2004.

A row over Freemasonry split the PCEA, leading to the removal of priceless historical artefacts from its prayer houses.

LOVE DARe: Day 3

Love is not selfish (Philippians 2:3).

Love is never satisfied except in the welfare of others.

Today's DARe speaks to the very heart of my Christian faith.

Paul exhorted the Romans in Romans 12:10 to be devoted to each in brotherly love and to give preference to one another in honor.

The word that basically means the opposite of love is selfishness.

It is definitely a trait I hate in other people but justify in myself.

I must learn not to put my interests, desires, and priorities in front of my wife.

I am going to teach myself not to constantly complain about the time and energy I spend meeting the needs of my wife.

As Paul spoke to the Corinthians, my love should not seek its own (1 Cor. 13:5).

My actions, no matter how generous they will be, must not be motivated by the desire for bragging rights or expectation to receive a reward.

I choose to put the happiness of my wife above my own.

I choose to genuinely demonstrate love.

LOVE DARe: Day 2

Kindness is love in action.

Love in its truest sense is not based on feelings.

Kindness is love in action aimed at maximizing a positive circumstance.

Kindness creates a blessing (Proverbs 3:3-4.)

Because I desire to be kind to my wife, I will be careful on how I treat her without being unnecessarily harsh.

I will be sensitive, tender, speaking the truth in love.

I will serve my wife without worrying about my rights.

I will not be obstinate, stubborn, or reluctant.

I will cooperate and stay flexible; compromise and accommodate.

I will listen first instead of demanding my way.

I will be the first to greet, the first to smile, the first to serve, and the first to forgive.

I must learn to demonstrate kindness, before I can learn to love.

My 40 Days of Purpose: LOVE DARe - Day 1

Love is built on two foundational pillars: patience and kindness.

Learning patience will allow me to respond in a positive way to a negative situation.

Patience brings internal calm when the external is exploding.

Anger must not be my emotional default when treated unfairly.

From Patience I will draw Wisdom so that I learn to listen without rushing to judgment.

Rather than declare my home a war zone, I will practice patience to foster peace and calm.

I must pursue patience as an essential ingredient to my marriage relationship.

Slomo

Follow this link to read more about Slomo as told by Joshua Izenberg (New York Times March 31st, 2014)

Read or watch the inspiring story of Dr. John Kitchin who quit a medical career to pursue his passion: skating along the boardwalk of San Diego’s Pacific Beach. He calls himself “Slomo.”

See also: Slomo

A New Way of Doing Church!

St Mary the Virgin Church in Beech Hill home to new shop

I RUN TO YOU GOD

I RUN TO YOU GOD:

I RUN TO YOU GOD:

Psalm 18:1-6 (The Message (MSG) Version)

^1-2 I love you, God—
    you make me strong.
God is bedrock under my feet,
    the castle in which I live,
    my rescuing knight.
My God—the high crag
    where I run for dear life,
    hiding behind the boulders,
    safe in the granite hideout.

³ I sing to God, the Praise-Lofty,
    and find myself safe and saved.

^4-5 The hangman’s noose was tight at my throat;
    devil waters rushed over me.
Hell’s ropes cinched me tight;
    death traps barred every exit.

⁶ A hostile world! I call to God,
    I cry to God to help me.
From his palace he hears my call;
    my cry brings me right into his presence—
    a private audience!

...

^16-19 But me he caught—reached all the way
    from sky to sea; he pulled me out
Of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos,
    the void in which I was drowning.
They hit me when I was down,
    but God stuck by me.
He stood me up on a wide-open field;
    I stood there saved—surprised to be loved!

^20-24 God made my life complete
    when I placed all the pieces before him.
When I got my act together,
    he gave me a fresh start.
Now I’m alert to God’s ways;
    I don’t take God for granted.
Every day I review the ways he works;
    I try not to miss a trick.
I feel put back together,
    and I’m watching my step.
God rewrote the text of my life
    when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.

^…

^28-29 Suddenly, God, you floodlight my life;
    I’m blazing with glory, God’s glory!
I smash the bands of marauders,
    I vault the highest fences.

³⁰ What a God! His road
    stretches straight and smooth.
Every God-direction is road-tested.
    Everyone who runs toward him
Makes it.

I RUN TO YOU GOD!

John Mututho explains why alcohol abuse is rampant in work places

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A drinking nation, A lost generation! Is it true that in every known Mtaa in Kenya two things are conspicuously present - a bar and a church? How can the latter redeem the Nation? At least I know of the Presbyterian Church Men's Fellowship's efforts in its attempt to slay the dragon.