Imagine Me

Whilst I was a sinful soul
You saved my soul and made me whole
I sinned and turned my back on you
Turned away from your shade and grace


But Lord you kept on calling me
To my heart you made that plea
Spoke to my heart, now I understand
I am saved, yes by your gift of grace


Amen


I just had a family meeting with my parents yesterday, and though it was nothing too serious, my father talked about retiring and moving away from the country! I spent so much time hating him for his woes, that the important things in life have been overlooked. He is not without blame but I turned my back on him (and Him). 


On my way back home, I reflected on our meeting, and broke down as soon as I heard from Kirk Franklin's Hero album, 'Imagine Me'! This was because I was and am so thankful that God did not abandon me even though I had abandoned Him over the years. I could have been homeless, or depressed, which could have lead to more serious mishaps if He did not speak to my heart and save me by His grace.


I'll leave you with Imagine Me, and hope you realise that Jesus will do more in your life if you trust in Him. He is the only way.

"Imagine Me"

Imagine me

Loving what I see when the mirror looks at me cause I

I imagine me

In a place of no insecurities

And I'm finally happy cause

I imagine me

Letting go of all of the ones who hurt me

Cause they never did deserve me

Can you imagine me?

Saying no to thoughts that try to control me

Remembering all you told me

Lord, can you imagine me?

Over what my mama said

And healed from what my daddy did

And I wanna live and not read that page again

[Chorus:]

Imagine me, being free, trusting you totally finally I can...

Imagine me

I admit it was hard to see

You being in love with someone like me

But finally I can...

Imagine me

Being strong

And not letting people break me down

You won't get that joy this time around

Can you imagine me?

In a world (in a world) where nobody has to live afraid

Because of your love fears gone away

Can you imagine me?

[Bridge:]

Letting go of my past

And glad I have another chance

And my heart will dance

'Cause I don't have to read that page again

[Chorus x2]

[Vamp:]

Gone, gone, it's gone, all gone

Pastor Barmy Jones

I wonder why the media is making such a big deal about the insane pastor that is planning to burn copies of the Koran in two days time! No doubt their aim is to ignite the people of America’s fury and give extra negative vivacity to their hatred of all things and people non-American, in this case Muslims. Why else would they constantly draw attention to the nonentity that is Pastor Terry Jones? Forgive my impudence, but as far as I am concerned, burning the Koran is not a very Christian thing to do, then again slavery is not, but that did not stop ‘them’ from forcefully taking people from their lands to involuntarily strengthen the Western world through slave labour! But that's a story for another occasion.

Pastor Terry Jones, of the Dove World Outreach Center, plans to put copies of the Koran in a bonfire to mark this week's anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The top US commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, the White House and Nato have expressed concern over the plan. BBC news website states that White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that "any type of activity that puts [American] troops in harm's way would be a concern to [the Obama] administration".

The Dove World Outreach Center may only represent a handful of people, but its incendiary plans haven't emerged out of nowhere. This is not the first time the pastor, 58, has attracted attention for anti-Islam behaviour. Jones was expelled from a previous church in Germany for Islamophobic behaviour and creating a 'climate of control and fear'. It is obvious that there is a trend of Pastor Jones inciting hatred. According to Andrew Schafer, an official responsible for monitoring churches in the region of Cologne, Terry Jones appears to have a delusional personality. My surprise is that this delusional psycho has successfully deceived and garnered a congregation that will assist him with his 'INTERNATIONAL Burn a Koran day'. Let's hope this lunacy stays within the shores of America and does not go international! 


I really would like to know what this 'pastor' is trying to achieve. Even if his intention is to convert Muslims to Christ [allow me to speculate please], surely this is not the way to do it. This will definitely increase extremists fury, and cause more harm than good!

Ponder on this

Here is a quiz I have nicked borrowed from a blog, Lucie's Smiles. It is so true, so I thought I would share:


Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.
Name the last half-dozen Academy Award winners for best actor or actress.


How did you do?


The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.


Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:


Name five family members who have helped you through difficult times.
Name five friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.


The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones who care.


This was an important lesson I learnt during my two year hiatus. I found myself hating the wealthy but parsimonious members of my family who had all the money and titles in the world, but hearts and compassion of stones. I despised them because in my time of need, they were nowhere to be found. Actually, they were right in front of me but their help was not. They were presently absent and visibly invisible! 


I decided not to focus on the people who came under the first set of quiz questions, but under the second, because those truly were and are the ones who cared and still care for me. It is only God who is lifting the clouds and helping me to focus on the important things in life.


I'll leave you with two quotes:


"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out." 
Unknown Author (please let me know the author if you know)


"I get by with a little help from my friends." - John Lennon

Christian Obama?

I was watching Brian Williams (CNBC) interview President Obama, in which Brian highlighted that upwards of a fifth of respondents of polls believe that President Obama is neither American or a Christian. The President humorously mentioned that he "can't spend all his time with his birth certificate plastered on his forehead"! Classic statement.  Does it really matter what religion he is? Is it not more important that President Obama is measured by the works he does, than by his religion?

I believe that sadly, Americans are obsessed with race and religious issues more than they should be. There is a lot of hate in America despite their First Amendment giving people the freedom to worship freely; and despite the famous Thomas Jefferson phrase "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed". Indeed there is a lot of hate in the world.

Robert Simms wrote in his article for Broowaha that "We know that Obama and Limbaugh reportedly have the same view concerning the issue of same-sex "marriage" versus civil unions. Both Obama and Limbaugh are on record as having said they support civil unions between same-sex couples; that view doesn't conform to traditional Christianity. Like far too many people, Obama and Limbaugh have modified Christianity to fit their already pre-conceived opinions rather than allow themselves to be changed by the teachings of Christ". While I can never claim to know the level of Obama's faith,or indeed if he does have any, I do believe that Robert Simms does have a point in terms of how Obama demonstrates his faith. The Bible says in Leviticus 18:22 "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination".

The Bible also says in Matthew 7:7 "Judge not, that you be not judged", so I am not judging President Obama or anybody else, because I have to make sure I consider the 'speck in my eye', before looking at the speck in his eye. Being a President is a tough job, and he is a President to all Americans, no matter their race, religion, or sexual preference.

US man faces blasphemy charge in Indonesia

The Straits Times reported that Indonesian authorities "have arrested an American man for blasphemy after he pulled the plug on a loudspeaker at a mosque because it woke him up". The incident happened on August 22, 2010.

"Luke Gregory Lloyd, 64, was taken into custody after he disrupted a nightly Koran reading session near his home on Lombok island which was being broadcast over the mosque's loudspeaker during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

He could face five years in jail under the mainly Muslim country's blasphemy laws. Police also said Lloyd's visa had expired in 2006".

Blasphemy laws or no blasphemy laws, that is just plain RUDE!

How can a man go to another person's country and feel he has the right to disrupt their worship session?! He should have thought long and hard about his surroundings before taking matters into his own hands and disrespecting the worshippers, and by surroundings I mean the politics and laws of the country. The article does not mention how long Mr Lloyd lived in his home, but I assume this was not the first time he had heard the broadcast over the loudspeaker. So what could have led to his outburst I wonder?

I just hope he does not get tortured for this possibly spur of the moment act of madness.

Make It Right: Katrina five years on...

Hurricane Katrina completely devastated New Orleans and as is usual with any disaster, natural or otherwise, a lot of high profile people pledged to support and rebuild New Orleans homes and neighbourhoods.

One high profile celebrity who truly is making a difference is Brad Pitt with 'Make it Right', an organisation devoted to building low income, eco-friendly homes for people who lost everything in the hurricane. The homes are built to withstand category 4 hurricanes and have solar panels fitted, which save residents some electricity costs.

Speaking with Brian Williams of CNBC, Brad Pitt stated that he got really angry with the abandonment of the hurricane victims, and the lack of regeneration of neighbourhoods after the disaster. This motivated him to set up Make It Right.

He commissioned 21 architects, and so far 50 affordable homes have been built. The scheme is so successful that people are ready to move in as soon as the homes are built. 150 homes in total are scheduled to be built, but Brad Pitt expressed his desire to raise more money to expand the scheme to the whole of the US.

May the good Lord continue to bless Brad Pitt and his family, for through them, God is answering a lot of people's prayers.

Robbie and Gary relight the fire!

Whenever I think “Robbie Williams” I think “sad”. I don't mean he is sad. I mean I feel sad. I see someone who is so depressed and hurt, that he no longer feels he can go on living without 'medicating' himself with one 'recreational' drug or another. This is no news, as it is common knowledge that Robbie has been addicted to different drugs for a number of years; Robbie said so himself. I have found myself praying for Robbie from time to time, that God will heal his wounds so that his life is not just another wasted celebrity one!

I was a little sad when Robbie left Take That in 1995 to embark on his rather successful solo career. Not because he had a successful solo career, but because his sad and reckless life began to play like a movie for all to watch. Sometimes I wish I had a remote control that I could press to control the world and change everything for the better. I mean EVERYTHING. I wished Robbie would just be happy.

So, imagine my glee when a few weeks ago I heard from the faint sounds coming from my radio that Robbie Williams was to get back together with Take That. I did not dwell on the news though, I was happy, but I wouldn't say elated as I am not a huge fan of theirs, but a moderate one. I was however almost moved to tears when a few hours ago I saw on the news that both Robbie and Gary Barlow of Take That have rekindled their friendship and all five of them (Take That plus Robbie) have planned an album and tour together. No, not because I'm a Take That fanatic- because I'm not and never really was pre-1995 (I do love their album Beautiful World though)- but because surely that means that a lot of broken bridges have been mended?

If I go on and on about this you guys will think I'm a liar and really a Take That fanatic (not that there's anything wrong with that), so I'll stop here and wish Robbie and Take That all the best for the future. I hope they've realised that life is too short to bear grudges and it only makes you depressed and angry.

I hope Robbie is off the drugs too!

The Verve said it best

“The drugs don't work”

Life Application Study Bible

Not that I want to shove Christianity down your throat or anything, but if like me you have been a Christian all your life, but the pleasures of the world have not allowed you to really take the time to understand the Bible and its relevance in your modern life, then you will love the Life Application Study Bible! (phew, that was a long sentence wasn't it?)

It comes in different versions (I’m not exactly sure how many) but I personally like the New King James Version, so that’s the version I bought.

The Bible gives a chronology of Bible events and world events. It gives important background and historical information, explains difficult words and phrases, and provides interrelationships within the Scripture. It would really help one understand how different books of the Bible from both the Old Testament and the New Testament link together. In the contributors’ words “over 75% of the Bible is application based”, so it can help one to see the relevance in ones life either at work, at school, during conflict etc. The Bible also has a Dictionary/Concordance, which defines them and points to the important occurrences in context.

I would say this Bible is the best buy I have made in my life, because whilst I have bought beautiful dresses, shoes, cars, makeup… I could go on and on; I believe this one book will help me live a fulfilled life and help me preserve my sanity!

Now all I need to do is read it and meditate on it!

Prayer for Pakistan

What is going on in Pakistan? What happened in Haiti? What is happening in the world?

It is quite heartbreaking to see what is going on in Pakistan. The pain and suffering that the people of Pakistan have to endure at this present time is really quite scary.

According to the BBC "Andrej Mahecic of the UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency, said about 80% of the town of Jacobabad in Sindh province was under up to 1.5m (5ft) of water and the floods were moving quickly towards Balochistan in the south". EIGHTY PERCENT! This means that a lot of people have been displaced from those areas, approximately 8 million according to the BBC.

The sad thing is that "the World Food Programme says it already has enough food in Pakistan to feed six million people for a month but distribution has been hampered by a lack of resources and the country's shattered infrastructure". I cannot even begin to criticise the way the Pakistani Government has handled the situation. I do know that there is talk that it is mainlyIslamic charities that are assisting flood victims. I think it is highly commendable of them as they are showing true charity to their people who are in urgent and desperate need.

Various charities have appealed to the public to donate money that would be used to help those in need in Pakistan. Call me a skeptic if you will, but I'm not so convinced that every organisation pledging to help the needy with donated money does what they pledge to do! This is exactly what happened with the Haitian disaster. It was well documented by the BBC and other news channels, that months after the earthquake, people were and are still living in makeshift homes. Nevertheless people living far away from Pakistan need to be able to do something to help if they can, and donating money may be their only other option.

Of course money will be needed in the long run to rebuild the area and peoples' homes, but in my opinion the Islamic charities are doing the right thing at the present time - providing medical aid, food, and shelter to those who need it, at least until the floods stop and regeneration of the damaged area can begin.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Pakistani people.

Lord please be with the people of Pakistan. Please give them hope for the future. Please settle the floods, so that people can start rebuilding their lives. Lord please give strength to the pregnant ladies and new born babies; strength to the sick and disabled. You did not create those people in vain o Lord, so please give them life so they can glorify your name and proclaim that you are God. In Jesus name, Amen.