3 min Read And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; or a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. Luke 11:5-8 (NKJV)  The first time I listened to this narrative, the premise of it was on persistent prayer. This story comes after Jesus had taught his disciples how to pray because they had requested him to teach them how to pray. Therefore, it is a logical progression for bible commentators and teachers to follow, assuming that Jesus was keen to have his …

3 min, 50 sec read So Marie Kondo or The KonMari Method is the new fad – the view you can declutter your life, keep only those things that speak to the heart, and discard items that no longer spark joy. This concept has taken the world by storm. Marie Kondo has a Netflix show, Tyding up with Marie Kondo and has a #1 New York Times best-selling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. She is highly rated by various news outlets and listed as Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people. That’s how far-reaching her influence is. I also stumbled on this term “cleanfluencers.” It’s a term attributed to personalities on Instagram who share tips and ideas on how to clean your personal space. The power and reach of social media, coupled with Marie Kondo’s ideas have enabled the cleanfluencers movement to become so popular in recent months. In an interview on Mail Online, psychologist Emmanuella Murray explained that there is a perfectly good reason as to why people find looking at people’s clean homes satisfying. ‘We don’t like mess, it can actually make us …

© Schulter Etyang 4 min read There are only two ways through which we receive blessings from God. The one way is to deserve the blessings, and the other is to not deserve (undeserved) the blessings. Deserved way Undeserved way The deserved way So, how do we try to deserve blessings from God?  Non-Christians try to earn their blessings from God through good works or living good moral lives. They work hard. They are honest individuals. They pay their taxes. They love their spouses and kids. They participate in community projects that uplift the poor, orphan, widow, prisoner and immigrant. They are good citizens. They obey the laws of the land. They are good people. Christians try to earn their blessings from God also by being good or in their case being spiritual. They fast and pray. They give their tithes. They go to Church. They love God with all their heart, soul, strength and mind, and love their neighbours as themselves. They participate in community projects that uplift the poor, orphan, widow, prisoner and immigrant. …

5 min read The answer to the question posed in the post’s title is—God shuts the heavens over you. God will not move on your behalf. Let me unpack this Israel was in decline. They had rebelled against Yahweh, his statutes and his prophets. Time and time again Yahweh sent prophets to warn them of impending doom but instead, they raised the middle finger to their God. Things got worse for them. They were struck with famines and droughts. They lost wars against enemies. They died from sickness and diseases. Yet despite their rebellion, God loved them, and when they turned to him he immediately turned their misfortunes into blessings. He healed them. He blessed them. He provided for them. He protected them. But as human nature loves to coil back to its default mode of sinning, they turned their backs against Yahweh time and time again.

3 min read We cannot do without New Year’s resolutions. That’s the truth. Goal setting is as old as creation itself. After God created human beings, he set goals for them — be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue and have dominion. (Genesis 1:28) Adam Alter in his book Irresistible, writes, goals … are a biological imperative rather than a luxury or choice (Pg. 107) We are intrinsically goal-oriented beings.  Jenny and I make resolutions every New Year. We usually sit and write what we want to do in the coming year. We set goals and plans for the year ahead. We set goals as it concerns our health, spirituality, finances, friendships, in-laws, home, vacations, studies, career, ministry etc.

2 min read Every Christmas for the past seven years, these words cross my mind and when they do, I pause for a moment and just wonder. These are the words God’s answer to everything that terrorized us was not an army or king but a child. I guess I may have listened to these words in a sermon or read them in a book. I will not take credit for such impressive words. These words have lent meaning to Christmas time, for me. Ever since the gospel of grace powered itself into my heart, my appreciation for Christian celebrations came full circle. 

Estimated Reading Time: 3 min, 25 sec I don’t know how this got started but for some years now, whenever Christmas time comes around, this song, One of Us, written by Eric Bazilian, and originally released by Joan Osborne, unconsciously taps itself into play. It’s as if my memory bank set this song to auto-play whenever it’s Christmas. And it plays on repeat throughout. I wake up in the morning and the first thing I hear is the chorus of the song.  Here’s the chorus of the song What if God was one of us? Just a slob like one of us  Just a stranger on the bus  Trying to make his way home? Songwriters: Eric Bazilian / Eric M. Bazilian One of Us lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc When I first listened to this song, I thought it was sacrilegious. My view of God was of a being in heaven with all power and majesty. A God too pure to be equated to us. A God too lofty to be reduced down to human terms. And yet this …