Capitalism has branded February the month of love, and for the past few years, I’ve played along with my musings being love-themed every February. This month, for example, I shared flash fiction I worked on for Brittle Papers’ Valentine’s Day anthology last year. Now that my Christian Musings page means blogging twice a month, I considered what love themed post to make from my Christian experience. There’s so much that faith helps us learn in love and love helps us become through faith. At its core, the gospel is essentially a dramatic love story… so it was hard picking just one thing to focus on. But I succeeded because one of the biggest lessons I feel needs to be learned by Christians is the lesson on loving your non-Christian friend. For a religion which was founded by a man known for breaking convention and loving heretics, rebels and the disliked… Christianity (or rather we Christians) fails woefully to meet that example. We seem to believe we must love those who think like us, look like us, believe as we do. And we often mistake love (philia which we are called to feel for every living thing) with like. As a result, most Christians dish out a fake kind of acceptance of those they deem not of the “yolk”. We often speak of religious tolerance, asking that people of one religion tolerate the other… as though the other person was a bad aftertaste to prescribed medication. You can love someone, as a creation of God you believe in without necessarily liking them. Love them- accepting and celebrating them for who they are, how God made them different from you. You need not be like them, nor agree with them, but you can always respect them. And that respect breeds love because it ascertains you’ll treat the other person with a due amount of consideration. And isn’t that all we need? Some consideration? I think it is. Empathy goes a long way and should be actively cultivated. My friend list spans a wide girth; atheist, agnostics, friends of different religions or different Christian denominations with contrasting doctrine etc. They are all my friends, they all have something about them I truly love and admire, they all better me in some way (even if that way is testing my patience LOL!). We are not “unequally yolked” so much as complementary. They don’t have to be equally yolked with me, they are not Christians, and I respect that. My job is to be the example of what a Christian is for them to see. And that’s it. So how do you love your Non-Christian friend? Love them by respecting them and their wishes, including the wish to not be preached to- there are other ways… Love them by listening to them, including listening to the issues they have with your faith. Believe it or not, addressing those issues will help you strengthen your own convictions. Answering hard questions always enables you to know better about yourself and what you believe. Love your non-christian friend enough to tell them if you feel they are doing what is wrong, but equally, love them as God did and let them have their free will. Love your non-christian friend enough to find out about why they believe what they do or do not believe at all. We are who we are because of our lived experiences. If you believe in a divine being you know we are not the authors and finishers of our lives, so why not find out the back story before you conclude their lack of faith is wrong. Above all, love your Non-Christian friend by being a true disciple of Christ. The one we have been called to emulate would have no problem loving anyone. Be like Jesus.
Change of Reaction- Flash Fiction by Monique Kwachou
Happy Valentine’s Day to all followers of my Musings! And *coughs* wishing you a great start to the introspective Lenten period. This month, I’m doing a throwback to last year when a piece of flash fiction I wrote was published by Brittle Paper in an anthology titled Love Stories from Africa. This version of the story has been slightly edited, I hope you enjoy! _________________________________________________________________________________ Change of Reaction by Monique Kwachou You step back, admiring the dinner table now set for two with your best dish set. You move to the room to make sure everything you have bought for the romantic weekend is set. It was in Lower-sixth that you first contemplated what you would do if your husband cheated on you. On that sticky afternoon, your classmate, Bessem, had returned from Commercial Avenue with a Nigerian magazine. Even though she had claimed that she hadn’t seen any American magazine your group usually chipped in to buy and pore over, you and your other friends, Sandra, Laura, and Eposi had suspected that Bessem, being the Nollywood addict she was, had bought the magazine because her favourite Nigerian actresses, Stella Damasus, Genevieve Nnaji and Omotola Jalade were on the cover page, advertising a film, Games Men Play. The magazine wasn’t bad. It was just as glossy as the American ones and contained similar information. There were tips on how to lose weight, which you had all heard Bessem read, even as she paused regularly to take a bite from a loaf of bread dripping with chocolate paste. There were glamorous pictures from celebrity events, an advice column on what to do when your love is not of the same faith as you, a quiz to determine what kind of lover you are, based on your favourite colour, and the vox-pop section which asked women to imagine what they would do if they found out their husband was having an affair. You remember it exactly. After reading the responses featured in the magazine, you had each taken turns. Bessem had sighed, she was from a polygamous home and couldn’t be bothered, she claimed. As long as she was financially comfortable, the man could go and live with his mistress, just as her dad had moved to the house he had rented for his second wife. Eposi rebuked it in the exaggerated way of Pentecostal Christians. “That shall not be my portion oooo! Not all men cheat. I’ll give my man all that he needs, what will he go looking for outside?” You all had laughed, aware of the implausibility of satisfying a man completely even at that age. Laura mentioned ‘facing the homewrecker,’ and Sandra reminded her that it was the husband who had made vows and promises. When Laura had turned on her demanding her response, Sandra had said it would depend on how much she felt betrayed. “But I could actually hurt the man, like pour hot water on his genitals”. You had all burst into fits of laughter, clapping your hands as you imagined it. When it was your turn, you had said you would simply divorce the man. Cheating meant he wanted someone else. Why would you hold on to someone who wanted someone else? If you truly loved him, you would let him go. You were undoubtedly high on Harlequin-type love at that time. Here you are now, on a Friday night, on the eve of Valentine’s Day, waiting for your husband to return from his business trip. You have sent the kids to his mother for the weekend. You have cooked his favorite meals and planned a romantic weekend escapade. You bought him a watch similar to the one he had admired on your boss’ wrist at the office party you both attended just after New Year. You are determined to make it his best Valentine weekend ever. You have planned all this, knowing the trip he is returning from wasn’t quite a business trip. Knowing he is cheating, knowing exactly who he is cheating with- she has flaunted pictures of them both on social media. Those Instagram pictures of “boo” where boos features aren’t fully visible to all. But certainly recognizable to the woman who is married to boo. Who has in turns licked him from top to bottom and wiped him down on his sickbed. You look at yourself in the mirror, assessing the way the lingerie you plan to strip out of for him later looks on you. You avoid looking at your face. Lowering your eyes out of shame and fear that your 37 year-old self will see the reflection of what used to be a self-confident 17 year-old Lower-sixth girl mockingly asking: Is this your reaction? _______________________________________________________________ Enjoyed it? Not so much? Drop a comment and let me know what you think! P.S Make sure to read the other stories from this collection HERE. Two more Cameroonian writers have some flash fiction featured (Howard M-B Maximus and Agogho Franklin).
Where Are You In Your Faith Journey?
As I stated in my first official Christian blog post, with this page I’ll be sharing lessons learned along my faith journey, for the purpose of inspiring someone and spreading the joy that I FEEL compelled to as a result of my faith in Christ. But as I thought of what to blog about this month, what lesson to share from my journey at this point… It all seemed pretty hard-core for a first blog post of the year. So I thought about it some more, procrastinated, prayed for inspiration, and just as I finally decided I’ll write whatever I can, just at that moment, it occurred to me that I was planning to share lessons learned in along my faith journey, but I had yet to assess at what point I was in this journey? Am I a baby needing milk (1Cor 3:1-5), or a full-fledged Ephesians chapter 6 warrior? To be honest, I think I am somewhere in the middle. I made the personal decision to commit to Christ in 2007, so that makes me 11 years in the fold right? One would say, that’s a pretty long time, long enough for maturity in the word. Let me just say that one would be lying. It’s not the number of years so much as the levels of hell and heaven we pass through experience which grows us. Growth in faith is subtle really, it grows on you, you just realize certain attributes of yours have changed. In one of her sermons, Priscilla Shirer talks about discerning the word of God and the sanctification process done by the holy spirit. I love that part of the sermon because it makes it clear these changes are not from us directly or solely our responsibility and consequence of our action. Growth is through that sanctification process. It is through that subtle molding of our likes and dislikes, priorities and desires that growth occurs. Growth is when the sermon about claiming the blessings of Abraham is no longer enough and feels glossed over because a quiet voice says “Would you like to claim his trials and tribulations too? Would you like God to give you a calling as absurd as the one he had? Or a trial as unbelievable as that which he was tested with?” No? Then shush. Growth is when you actually listen and believe the word that says your salvation will not be earned through deeds, and finally stop judging other people based on your list of thou-shall-nots. Growth is when you go beyond praying for what you desire to get and start praying for who you desire to become in Him. Or better yet, when you move beyond praying for yourself and to praying for others, for Gods will, for more growth. I think I began to grow, actually grow in faith and seek more knowledge and guidance than prosperity after reading a Purpose Driven Life in 2009. If you’ve ever suffered from depression and questioned your self-worth, the value of your existence… well you’d know the potential impact of knowing you have a Purpose to fulfill, of being challenged and guided to find that you have unique skills, gifts, and talents. Writing the purpose statement for your life is one of the most “getting my shit together” acts EVER. That manifesto literally compels one to LIVE. Please, make no mistake, growing in Christ is hard, mostly because it means killing of our selfish nature. You are being “shaved off” until all that’s left is what resembles Christ. In a way, it’s not so much a growing as a reconfiguring. Perhaps that’s why our journey often seems like we are going around in circles, standing at the same spot. We may be learning the same lessons over an over again till we get it right. One of my all-time time favourite quotes by my role model, the late Maya Angelou is this: “I always find surprising when a young person walks up to me and says they’re a Christian. I feel the need to respond: already?” See, Mama Maya knew that this journey is looooooooooong! And few of us complete it by the time we pass away. So forgive some of us if we respond to the question of whether we are a Christian – read Disciple of Christ- with the answer “I am trying my best to be”. So there, before I start imparting lessons learned through experiences in my faith journey, consider this a disclaimer: I do not have it all together and I still have a long way to go. Where at you in your faith journey? Drop me a comment below, I’d love to know, I’m nosey like that ????????????
Musings on 17th January
The 17th of January will forever hold meaning for me. For one, it’s the birthday of a close friend and founding member of Better Breed Cameroon- the youth development organization I coordinate. Sama Randy, passed away three years ago this month and has since been remembered by the Youth Essay Contest we have since renamed in his honor (please click here to learn more about the Sama Randy Youth Write Contest). Last year, another memorable event took place on the 17th of January. On the evening of this day last year, our government decided to take stifling of opposing voices to another level. It was a Tuesday, around 6pm. We heard rumors- turned fact- of the arrest of leaders of the Consortium who were at the time heading protests against the government over Anglophone marginalization. These arrests were followed by an internet shut-down in the two Anglophone regions where protests were situated. Looking back, I can say that day marked the greatest mistake our government has made in years. With the decision made on that day, our government not only validated our protests but equally gave the opportunity to fanatics to spread and grow leading to the impasse we now experience. See, that day marked a turning point for people of my generation. We of the “android generation” (as they call our 90’ Babies forward) have known our government to be corrupt, our officials to be power-drunk thieves, selfish brownnosers to their core. Yet, we had until this past year only known of our governments’ brutality only through the lens of history, through exaggerated quartier tales we grew up hearing; like “did you know the first lady’s former lover was killed when our president took interest in her or did you know our former first lady died mysteriously?” All rumors we could not confirm but which ensured we looked at our officials with the right tinge of fear. Similar to the way our parents and those generally older and more aware bowed lower in the face of gendarmes and generally feared to talk about politics in certain places. Yes, up until last year we knew our government was bad, but we hadn’t known the fear of those who had witnessed it firsthand. As a Nigerian proverb goes; a child who crosses the river carried on the mother’s back would say the water was not deep. We had read of Ahidjo’s governments’ complicity with the French in crushing the Maquisards and assassinating Cameroon’s early patriots. We had listened as our parents discussed the infamous disappearance of the Bepanda 9 incident following the opposition to our current president’s changing of the constitution. But still, we had been sheltered and had yet to witness our government shutdown a part of the country, arbitrarily arrest hundreds on flimsy excuses and cart them off to Yaoundé as though they were Jews to Hitler’s concentration camps. We had not lived the fear of militarized towns, nor imagined government officials could lie so blatantly about the regions we inhabited. We had not experienced government imposed curfews and ‘states of emergency’ nor had we known that the police we scorned as thieves could also be heartlessly brutal batterers. January 17th 2017 set off a chain of events which brought an end to our relative naivety and unleashed possibilities- possibilities of the worst kind- into our minds. After experiencing months of internet shutdown, closure of free press, brutal repression of protesters (peaceful or otherwise), refusal to dialogue, arrests of those who so much as expressed opinions of the issue online or in public… and even when the internet access was restored, even when some of those arbitrarily arrested were released, even then we saw that our administrators lacked basic managerial skills as they continuously chose force over dialogue, and denial over addressing of the problem. A year later, as I ponder on how things have developed, Langston Hughes’ most popular poem comes to mind. In Harlem, Hughes’ ponders on what happens to a dream deferred. Harlem BY LANGSTON HUGHES What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore— And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? Today I consider the state of my country, the effects of ignoring and then suppressing justifiable protests. I ponder on the consequences of whitewashing our history, denying the existence of two Cameroon’s and of having a government which- like the ill-famed ostrich- have buried their heads in the sand insisting there is no problem… and as I do this, I think of the above poem and I feel I can answer Hughes. A dream deferred shall fester and run. Like the dream of Ndeh Ntumazah’s One Kamerunn party now crusting over as ‘Ambazonia’. A dream deferred stinks rotten like the death of Bate Besong still an open sore in our history as with every other revolutionary who spoke up and was cut down. And by all indications, if the Anglophone dream continues to be deferred…it shall explode. Perhaps we should stop postponing and address the dreams this country was built on before they become nightmares.
So… What did 2017 teach you?
Earlier this year, I wrote on the development of the now year-long crisis which has plagued the Anglophone regions of Cameroon. I outlined the emergence of the struggle and build-up due to utter mishandling from the government and the frustration of a minority, all in hope of our collective learning as a nation. As the year comes to an end and the crisis still rages- with more violence than ever in some parts of these regions- I have wondered if we actually did learn anything. For me the end of year period is meant for reflection; a time for assessing the year about to pass by and preparing for the one about to begin. I have thus considered the lessons 2017 has taught me personally, lessons like: i. Some things/people will never be yours no matter how hard you work, how hard you pray and how much you may deserve it/them. We do not always get what we deserve. That is both a good and bad thing. ii. You matter. Someone impressionable is watching you, looking up to you, believing in you. So act like you matter. iii. Your work matters. Invest in it. Hone your craft. iv. Pain too can bloom things. It’s not the best fertilizer but it works. v. Not everyone you admire is right for you and you are not for everyone. And now I consider the lessons 2017 and the experiences of this year should have taught us all as Cameroonians. In case you’ve been dozing throughout the year, here are some takeaways in point form: 1- Before you start a protest have a plan. Advocacy is targeted, and meaningful. You can be an online activist, your voice is a powerful tool and your social media page is no doubt a useful platform BUT for you to be an advocate, you need to be targeting those in power able to change things or actively following procedure in changing them. Otherwise you’re not doing much. Anger at this government is justified, however misdirected anger and lack of strategy is deadly. We’ve been under this regime for 35+ years… anyone trying to save us from it should have used this time to come up with a good plan. It doesn’t have to be foolproof, but it should be logical. As a friend of mine put it a while back: Before you demand my allegiance to a new order, convince me that what you offer me is better than the last. 2- Hold your heroes to higher standards, this is not a game. A popular adage goes: An unchecked virtue is a vice; meaning what/who is good can easily go bad because of too much praise and too little criticism. I think this is the strongest lesson of the year. In our desire for change we, as Cameroonians have come to crown any loud voice as messiah. However this, the future of our nation and our collective well-being, is not a scenario where we can make do with “a one-eyed man in the land of the blind”. Perhaps because we’re not all that blind, most of us are just suffering from nearsightedness. So please check and double-check your heroes, does your hero/leader of choice make sexist remarks? Is he/or she knowledgeable of the laws/constitution they criticize? Is he or she transparent? Does he or she have lingering scandals? Is he or she a trusted source of verified information? Can he or she handle power without becoming power-drunk? We should have learned that he who cannot handle criticism now will be no better than Biya when it comes his turn to rule. He who would sacrifice others and ignore their real needs at this time, will not suddenly change with power. And not everyone who speaks up for us is meant to be our mouthpiece. Someone can appreciate the general problem, but due to their background and context, be out of touch with the other intersecting oppressions people in different classes, with different levels of education, and so forth experience. 3- Do your research, verify information. Fake news is real; spreading it is not a joke. We may all scoff at the government’s annoying message with veiled threats regarding the spread of fake news- particularly considering how much fake news they spread by lies of omission. Yet, it is an undeniable fact, that unverified information “forwarded as received” caused a lot of destruction of property and loss this year. Unverified information readily shared because it sounds sensational, appeals to our desired outcome or because we’re too damn lazy to cross check sources and possibility, caused a great deal of damage this year. Fake news damaged the credibility of a revolution and led to loss of property and life every time a rumor went around inciting young people to the streets where they were met with certain police brutality. Pray we have learned that not everything is worth sharing. In fact, let me make it clear in our most common language: *holds ear* make this thing sey forwarded as received end this 2017. If you don’t know the source and are not certain the info is true, keep it to yourself.4- In the words of MJ ‘They don’t really care about us”. It is hoped that we’ve learned that no one is coming to save us. That no one owes us more than we owe ourselves. That no one can do for us what we have yet to do for ourselves. This is for those who marched before embassies of France, the United Kingdom, Canada etc. but failed to hold their own ambassadors accountable. This is for those who readily spread rumors about UNESCO canceling a school year only to see some (middle class) children progress to higher institutions with the release of results while theirs were at home. If nothing else, may 2017 have taught us that we must organize to save ourselves. The international community has never been an impartial judge. If we don’t care about ourselves,
About My Faith… An Introduction
I found faith in 2007. Or rather God found me. It was during one of the worst times of my life (thus far). Suffice it to say drama levels were at an all time high, we’ll save that story for another day. Given the circumstances under which I found faith on my own, the healthy skepticism I came to find faith with, my liberal mindset coupled with regular conflicts/cognitive dissonance, I have never felt I was the right person to share the ‘good news’ with others. My motto was (and to a great extent still is) live a life that upholds the principles of your faith and you won’t need to quote so many scripture verses… This motto is reflected in the popular adage attributed to William J. Toms “live your life as though it may be the only bible some may ever read”. While there’s nothing wrong with this philosophy, it however doesn’t negate nor replace the great commission that we’ve been given- to share the gospel with all who we can as part of our faith. And this part, I have thus far shied away from. I had reasons for avoiding active evangelism, okay perhaps we’ll call them excuses rather than reasons, but I had them! For one, I didn’t like a lot of the examples of evangelists I knew of. Evangelists like the Jehovah Witnesses who would knock on our door to share the faith and some how felt they had the authority to declare that we were condemned to a fiery furnace unless we joined them; because to them our church wasn’t righteous enough. Or evangelist like the medical student cum University Hostel preacher who had left the Presbyterian church for a new-age Pentecostal church and begun asking those he thought were ‘good enough’ to join him in evangelizing to those he thought were immoral. He would later propose an affair saying ” we’ll use hotels out of town of course, where people who look up is can’t see us and be led astray”. There were several more evangelists who tarnished the image in my mind with their love for titles ‘(Brother Sam, Sister Julie, Apostle Leslie etc) and their penchant for legalism, readily alternating social norms and religious dictates to their convenience,. Suffice it to say, I never wanted to be mistaken for one and so I shied a way from sharing the word. Besides,with some of my own unanswered questions and heavy criticism of religion, considering my ready understanding of why some people would choose not believe and respect for their prerogative not to… who was I to preach to anyone? That was how I felt till this past year when I attempted to make a deal with God. I was literally like: Lord give me [insert heart’s desire here] and I’ll do this thing I’ve been shying away from. In retrospect, I was doing what most unbelievers criticize Christians for: acting as if God was a genie. For another thing, what I was offering as my ‘bargaining chip’ was something the faith demanded that I do anyway. So ugh, no deal. Some friends and a pastor I respect brought the stupidity to my attention and I came to my sense somewhat. Rather than attempting ‘trade by barter’ with God, I decided to finally take up the work I had ignored. Actively evangelizing. Still, I was reluctant. It mattered how I evangelized more than that I do it. And like I’ve expounded upon above, the examples aren’t pretty and I have my own hangups . So how do you share your faith, when you’re still growing in it yourself. When you don’t have it all together and when you’re skeptical of doctrine, critical of sexism and all the other isms our religion (not faith mind you) perpetuates. Well I dragged my feet for months, considered the best route and finally decided on starting with teaching Sunday school. I’ve taught two classes thus far and it is a great experience for me particularly because I enjoy teaching. However, given my mobility and the structure of our church [teaching can be agonizing when you’re not the one making the lesson plan and/or curriculum] I found it wasn’t something I could do regularly. it’s unfortunate that the way our Sunday school’s are set up we’ll end up with even more believers in future who either quit the faith or become reciters of dogma they barely understand. None-the-less the desire to keep the-vow-that-was-no-longer-a-trade had latched on and I recently decided that I would commence sharing my faith the way I share everything else… by writing. Which brings me to this:I write monthly on musings, expressing my opinions on everything and nothing, a rambling social commentary, which helps me share my views and opinions on my people, my society and add to the record of our living history.I equally track my career journey and lessons learned on LinkedIn, my attempt at taking inventory of professional growth, as well as a way of marketing myself and encouraging whoever might have similar ambitions… With this “About My Faith’ page on my blog I plan to likewise do regular updates on my Christian journey, recording growth in faith. Offering my opinions on issues that conflict and console. Sharing the joy of the gospel as well as creating a space to question it. I won’t be preaching- not really- just sharing. I think that’s the best I can do towards evangelism at this time. All the same I’m excited, because today I choose to share my faith, cautious of but not fearing the the traps I’ve seen others fall in. So, I hope you’ll join me. I hope you’ll read this page as you read the other. And I hope you feel free enough to question here, to dissent and partake in what I share. A happy new year to you and yours!I’d love to read your thoughts on this new addition to the blog- including topics you’d like me to consider as I muse on my Christian journey- so drop me a comment below. XoxoMo.
The MILEAD Experience
In 2015 I was selected as the MILEAD Fellow for Cameroon. The MILEAD Fellows Program is a year-long leadership development program designed to identify, develop and promote emerging young African Women leaders to attain and thrive in leadership in their community and Africa as a whole. The program selects 25 young women aged 25 and below who have illustrated potential as nation builders and ‘influencers’. MILEAD offers them a chance to become part of an inter-continental network for professional and personal development, offers them a three week training in Accra, Ghana and challenges them to completed a transformational project in their communities upon their return home. As the program requires selected fellows contribute a percentage of their individual cost, I was compelled to do a fundraiser to support my participation. Alongside the the successful fundraising, and upon urging from Ngum Ngafor of Africally Speaking, I made vlogs on my MILEAD Experience. Here are three of those vlogs for your ease of access. Prior to take-off While in Ghana: And finally upon return home: It is hoped these vlogs inspire some other young Cameroonian woman to apply for the annual program. It is a truly life-changing experience; and I’ve got pictures to prove it!
Attending the 2016 African Feminist Initiative Conference
I had the honor of having my abstract selected for my participation in the inaugural African Feminist Initiative Conference at Penn State, USA. The conference held under the theme of : “African Feminisms around the World: Cartographies for the 21st Century”. It was attended by notable scholars, Prof. Abena Busnia, Prof. Akosua A. Ampofo, Prof. Patricia McFadden, Dr. Bibi Bakare Yusuf and more. It was an honor to present my work in their midst. Posted above is a rough video of me practicing ahead of my presentation at Penn State. Would love to hear what you think of my research!
Why I am Not “Here” for TB Joshua’s Ministry
I was asked in a recent interview what I blog about. My response: Whatever is trending on my mind at the moment. In that respect, what has been trending on my mind and my Facebook newsfeed off and on for quite some time now is the ever-reawakening case of the Nigerian Prophet T.B Joshua. You cannot be Cameroonian and not know of Prophet T. B. Every time you enter a taxi his and outstretched palm is displayed on a sticker with the message “Let Love Lead”. A very nice message we would all agree. Most times you will enter a salon, restaurant, or even the self proclaimed Christian Clinics and see his channel Emmanuel TV on, or you may know any one of the many Cameroonians are traveling all the way to Lagos in a bid to see him As result of popularity this prophet is under a ton of scrutiny. And deservedly so considering the many who equate him with the Pope (or higher given the fact that the Pope is not known to cure Diabetes as of yet). They say he has powers, they say he is generous; they say he is a godsend…Now, I’m not here to say he isn’t any of these, I’ll leave it to you to you to decide what you would believe. But these are my musings and I’ll like to share here are 7 reasons I’m not “Here” for TB 1- I believe God has better things to prophesy about than football. Recently it has been going about that TB prophesied Cameroon would win the World Cup this here or rather “An African Country beginning with C and ending with N” This rumor is FALSE. I researched it and know the source. He said no such thing. Actually as of early 2013 the “prophet” publicly “resigned” from prophesying about football matches (http://www.nyasatimes.com/2013/02/18/tb-joshua-resigns-from-announcing-football-prophecies-i-have-been-getting-insults/). However I do not blame the person who began this rumor as a joke. When did God start sending game scores as a message to his people? I find it very VERY difficult to believe God had EVER lacked a message to send into the world that He would choose to send us predictions on a pop culture sport (http://thetbjoshuafanclub.wordpress.com/tag/football-prophecy/). I mean there must have been some child dying of Leukemia who need a prophecy of the right person to appeal to for a bone marrow transplant right? 2- Secondly I am a firm believer in the verse “what your right hand gives your left hand should not know about” (Mathew 6:1-3). Permit me break interpret this scriptural verse for TB? What you put in a sealed brown envelope should not be written out and announced to all and sundry. That to me is NOT generosity, at least not Christian generosity. It is rather similar to IMF aid :/ 3- I believe God gave us brains to use them. Let me expatiate: Believing in God and having faith does not cancel out use of reason. Yes I believe in miracles. Yes I believe God can use people to heal. I also believe those people could be doctors he called to service. I also believe when Ben Carson discovered a way to divide those Siamese Twins God used him to perform a miracle. The twins’ parents may have prayed, they may have gone to church and fellow-shipped yes, but I logically believe that God has given us instruments for healing a.k.a doctors, hospitals, modern medicine. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying another Christian cannot pray for you and you get healed. I’m just saying don’t skip out of the hospital with HIV results and go for healing in church when God has already provided healing in the form of ART in a clinic near you… 4- I believe there is more to salvation than a miracle market. If you have ever watched Emmanuel TV on a Sunday this does not need explaining. 5- I believe in humility, this does not involve naming yourself a prophet or “Man of God” in my book. It does not involve having an advert putting your framed photo at the end of a long line of framed pictures of apostles (yours being larger) thereby insinuating in advertising dialect that you are equal or greater than the apostles before you eh? Moreover while I agree people may regard you as a prophet I think you cheapen it by attaching it to your name like a credential e.g Evang. Mark Azinwi, Prophet of the Lord. 6- I believe in logic. That is; a. You do not teach people to be “Wise Men” or Prophets, so all those underlings are? In my rationality (which I acknowledge may be faulty) being a prophet is a calling, a gift, and not something to be learned. Just as I would criticize Pastor Chris for attempting to teach people how to speak in Tongues. I mean really?!!! Someone needs to re-read 1 Corinthians 12 b. In that line of logic, I reason that a “Man of God” owning the great expanse of property As TB does, and regularly dishing out hundreds of thousands of Naira should have a job eh? Else where’s the source of income. One school of thought says his church generates it, to that I reply: “I thought churches were meant to be the “original” not-for-profits?” And when another school of thought says it comes from donations of followers to which I reply: “So he isn’t really being generous then because it’s not his right, he’s just redistributing as he wills?” c. In the same line of logic I inquire on things which in my opinion (which again I acknowledge may be faulty) are meant to be private being publicized. Yes, I understand the goal of trying to get non-believers to see God’s power, but hmm even Jesus said “go and tell no one I healed you. What is it with the advertising of miracles as though it were a commercial product almost 24 hours of
What Chapter of Life are You On?
The practice of giving themes to a year is not a new one, it has been customary for many people across the world for ages. In Cameroon however, declaring themes for a year is fairly recent and has been made popular by Pentecostal Churches. Most often these themes are prosperity-centered: My Year of Double Portion, Year of Overflowing, My Year of Abrahamic Blessings… A few years back at New Years’ time, I wondered why they never think of themes like My Year of Hard-work, My Year of Discipline, My Year of Jacob-like Commitment, or even My Year of Sowing Seeds. Of course, it is easy to conclude on why the latter themes would be less popular. Growing older- particularly the part about growing older which involves awareness of death- it’s frequency, suddenness and callousness- will mature you and have you reflecting on all those plans you made and the aspirations you have. This is what made me to first take on the themed years. Growing older and the desire to make sense of every year, feeling like you’re living life to the utmost capacity. I had learned earlier on that plans failed and while I strongly advocate for a good Plan A and an acceptable plan B, I also understand that no matter how hard I try, some things are not in my power to determine. Still, having a ‘topic statement’ for the year appealed to me and I dubbed my 27th year ‘My Year of Growth’. The year lived up to its theme, it only occurred to me too late that growth would/must come through pain. Now a month into my 28th year I have once again found myself evaluating; am I where I’m supposed to be (I think so). Am I doing all I am supposed to do (unfortunately no, and even that which I do is usually done later than I planned for)? Above all, am I living my purpose (on a scale of 1 to 10, I think I deserve a 6)? As 27 lived up to its theme so well I’m being careful as I decide on a theme for 28. I am thoughtfully considering what theme fits this chapter… What short-term goals I have to meet, and perspective I’ll take on will stem from this theme.It’s necessary to ponder deeply on it. I have a few ideas already but thought I’d ask: If you had to follow my tradition and have a theme for each age, what would you title this chapter of your life?