Danger in the streets

Walking through town on a busy day, when suddenly
The crowd screams and people are running in all directions
Panic, vendors drop their wares on the street,
Fruit trampled by rushing feet

Stumbling, almost tumbling, not sure where to turn
Crying and scampering, Not sure whats going on
Where is the danger? Where is safety? What has caused this maddening cry?
Gun shots in the air, scared faces everywhere
Old and young racing down the street; shocked faces, stumbling feet
Then suddenly its over
Three officers throw a body in a van
A lifeless corpse next to an AK 47
He lived by the sword, he died by the sword
Bullets in this case - a crime attempted in vain
Such a waste, such a price, such a shame

Born Again - a word everyone uses and no one defines

Language is dynamic. Over time, some words even lose meaning or fall out of popular use, or change meaning. The word "BOMA" (which refered to British Overseas Administration offices, or something like that) has come to mean something else. Strictly speaking there was no BOMA after independence, but we use the word anyway.

If you went into the street and randomly asked a few Zambians what "Born Again" means, you may come up with as many different answers as the people you interview! Some would say "people who attend a church with loud music that can be heard down the road". Others would say, "people who go for crusades" or "people who speak in tongues (charismatic  - but there are some charismatic groups who are not 'born again' but purport to have the same gifts)". Still others might say "those who listen to loud American preachers". Within the church some will say "a person who has repented" or "someone who has faith" or even "anyone who is baptized". How can such a common term have so many different interpretations?

It presupposes a radical diagnosis of human condition. It proposes that, what we need is not simply new resolutions or new attitude or even positive thinking or more self esteem. This view says what we need is so radical, it is called new life. We are naturally unconscious to the wonder of the Creator. We are naturally rule breakers with an attitude of apathy to our maker. We are masters of making excuses (while we are quick to point fingers when others do the same wrong we just excused ourselves from doing). Our spiritual compass cannot pick the true north. Going by this diagnosis, we do not just need a new record (forgiveness) but a new vital principle (spiritual life, regeneration). We don't just need the heavenly courtroom to cancel the record, we need a new condition in our hearts and mind. We need our spritual compass to come alive, to sense the true 'north' and gravitate towards it, to find satisfaction in Him who is greater than we can think or imagine.

In the book Titus 2:3-8 (simplified message version), we have a description of this change:

^3-8 It wasn’t so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this.

 This tells us that our condition, not just our position (status) needs a change. It tells us about a change so great, that only God can do this to us, we are powerless to bring it about. But unless you accept the radical diagnosis, you will not see the necessity of the cure. But your natural eagerness to make excuses should be a clue that maybe this state of spiritual lifelessness is a reality after all.

As for the use of the term "born again", no doubt many who use it have no clue what it means at all. It is time we pay attention to defining our church terminology. Otherwise it may be just another public secret, like the word BOMA.

The deeper the roots, the stronger the tree

The deeper the roots, the greater storm it will survive

Starved by drought and disaster

This tree is now a master

Of the elements; Standing tall come wind or rain

All the hardship was not in vain

In the thirsty days its roots dug deeper

When the strong wind came, (that mighty reaper)

Other trees fell but this one stood tall

Unmovable like a defense brick wall

Deep roots are the secret of standing tall

Deep roots; the invisible strength unseen on the surface

Knowledge and faith quietly fed

Power and character building up inside

Roots growing deep and wide

Its not all about what you surface

The surface can be deceitful

Like on so many trees that fell

who could tell that they wouldn't stand?

The secret is the foundation

The eternal Rock - solid and eternally true

The word and prayer giving life to you

Daily doses slowly building you from the inside

The more growth, the better in warfare

You can't fatten the cow on the day of battle

You can't study when the exam has begun

Training should begin before the storm has come

The deeper you go the stronger you'll be

How deep are your roots?

Understanding the Book of Proverbs

"A proverb is a concise, memorable saying, usually in poetic form, expressing a generally accepted observation about life as filtered through biblical revelation. From this definition, we can observe that a proverb is characterized as being concise and memorable, simple yet profound, specific yet general, usually expressed in poetic form, and observations about life as filtered through biblical revelation. To clarify our understanding of the nature of proverbs, we will examine these five characteristics in individual proverbs." - Dr. Robert V. McCabe

An interesting article on how to break down the Book of Proverbs:
http://www.oldtestamentstudies.org/my-papers/other-papers/wisdom-literature/interpreting-proverbs/

The good old days - Making sense of the endless longing

Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?”
    For it is not wise to ask such questions. - Eccl. 7:10

Every one has those 'gold old days' moments, when we recall some exciting moment in life. Sometimes it is even years later when we look back and say "Those days were so much fun! I didn't realise how good things were!" This is something good, a way of appreciating  the good things in life. A grateful attitude is also good going forward, it makes us less complacent, less self-pitying and more open to enjoy the good we come across today. This can also give us hope for making more golden memories in days ahead!

But there is a danger, a "twisted" form of remembering the past. We can create a "golden age" in our minds, and turn that into a debilitating excuse to stop really living in the present. We can get stuck in fantasies of that "peak moment" in life and refuse to do anything significant today.

Different people have different "peak" exciting moments in life. Others will talk of their early days (pre-teen), others speak of secondary school (high school?) days, other still college days, and others life after thirty. There is nothing wrong with such memories. They are good and we should be thankful. But the problem is when we begin to moan "Why were the old days better than these?"

The Pulpit Commentary describes someone who thinks like this as follows; "in his moody discontent he looks on what is around him with a jaundiced eye, and sees the past through a rose-tinted atmosphere, as an age of heroism, faith, and righteousness." He goes on to say, "Every age has its light and dark side; the past was not wholly light, the present is not wholly dark. And it may well be questioned whether much of the glamour shed over antiquity is not false and unreal." So the problem is, we forget the past had its own challenges. But because we no longer have to wrestle with decisions and danger, the 'past' has become a safe place. This mindset is dangerous for the present!
Sometimes the Pan-African philosophy can reach this extreme. As much as colonization was a horrible injustice, we must also remember that Africa was not a paradise before then! Wars, slave trade and abuse were real. In the desire to become Afrocentric, we must not imagine it was all garden of Eden two hundred or one thousand years ago. Like all cultures, we had our strengths and weaknesses. But in our attempt to paint a picture of the past, we must be wary of creating a false historical apex. Otherwise our goal will be an imagined point which did not exist. When we are deceitful are the past, we will fail to truly learn from history, and map a prudent way forward. We get stuck in a fantasy, and grumbling and complaining about the present.

In truth, the only garden of Eden was the garden of Eden. The root problem is not how the African paradise was disturbed, as much as that was unprovoked hostility. The root problem goes deeper.

Two things we need to remember. The first: 

 There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

²     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

-Eccl. 3:1-8

Some things end simply because time is up. Our safe places are, at best, only here for a short time, not forever. At least in the present world. The second is, (I forget who said this), the dividing line between good and evil is not simply between countries, ideologies or parties, but runs right through every human heart. We are fragile and faulty, struggling internally and externally.

Once we accept the nature of our world, this will not placate our longing for permanent security, emotional and otherwise. Rather, it can only be a pointer to One who promises to fill our longing for never ending purpose, secure identity, love and spirituality. All the good things of this life, as really and truly good as they are, are only a hint of what the world always should have been. As C. S. Lewis put it, if we have desires this world cannot satisfy (but only hint at) this shows we were made for another (permanent) one. What we do with this hint, and how we satisfy the longing, is another matter entirely. But for Lewis and others, the answer lies in the Easter story, the one man who conquered the ultimate enemy that cuts short life - death itself.

Let's be real: Why some biographies are more depressing than helpful

Would you rather read the story of a perfect hero who has never had any struggles or real temptations, or a hero who had to overcome problems and discouragement to succeed? Most people would want the hero they can identify with. What good is  hero who is immune to the struggles I face every day?

Zambia is 50 years old this year, as as we approach this anniversary I have taken special interest in books recording our 'brief' history. One danger when recording true life stories is that we can exaggerate events in people's lives, turning them into 100% heroes or villains. In the name of presenting an inspirational story, writers can edit out any signs of weakness or frustration, any mistakes and any bad decisions along the way. The motive is commendable right? Wrong!

When we create 'superhuman' heroes, we make someone who we can admire, but never aspire to become! If that hero was immune to mistakes and indecision, then we are so far removed that we have someone to admire, but not someone to imitate. This person cannot be a role model. Secondly, when we make our role models emotionless legends, we cause frustration because we know it is beyond us to ever become that. We are glad spectators, but we will also just sit around waiting for more heroes like that to show up and fix our problems. Our role becomes passive observers. We never react by saying "I want to do that!" The third issue is how we can be tempted to look down on those who are struggling to become better. We tend to feel pressured to always appear as if everything is alright, and hide our struggles, as if it is 'sub-human' or taboo to be facing any kind of struggle.

As more people write biographies, they should be mindful to present three-dimensional human beings, with dreams, frustrations, challenges, temptations, mistakes, skills, friends, enemies, tears, laughter, anger, fear and hope. Only then can me move beyond admiring our national heroes, to aspiring to become like them, in all the ways that they overcome evil around them and within.

In many business and church circles it seems taboo to present ourselves as going through the motions of human life in a fallen world. People want to pretend that all is well all the time or they are already in heaven, and look down on others. We are too image conscious, and pride ourselves in painting that perfect image, no matter what the reality is. So we end up with people that paint a plastic image of being happy day and night, free from struggles and temptations which the rest of us face. But we know that is only skin deep. They need to get past the image they are fighting to preserve, if they are to truly rise above the problems that are being swept under the carpet. After all, we are supposed to follow the 'Man of sorrows' who was 'acquainted with grief' (Isaiah 53) and who, though completely victorious, was tempted in every way (Hebrews 4). It takes more faith to admit "I am hurting" and "help" when everyone expects a novel image, than imitate the plastic smiles all around. And maybe, just maybe, someone might be encouraged by the sight of our honesty too.

What do work and music have in common?

Music is almost universally enjoyed. Almost everyone has some kind on sound they enjoying hearing in rhythm.  I love the sound of a good acoustic guitar, skilful voices accompanying the instrument (not the other way around!) and it feels like the world stands still. Other music makes you want to jump up and wave your hands. Still other music makes you shout for a friend to come hear a common favorite, as you turn up the volume!

Music is like language. It is used to express every emotion and almost every occasion. It is used at weddings, parties, funerals, official ceremonies, advertisements, funerals, competitions ... almost every area of life can have a song to express something.

If you could choose three songs, to say "These express what I feel and what my life is like", what songs would you choose?

Our choice of music may tell something about our lives and attitudes as well. Some music is always angry, some is always broken hearten, some is always joyful, and other music doesn't make sense (not even tot he one who sang the song!) At other times, the music rubs off on us, and we being to reflect the language and attitude of the songs in everyday life. It becomes a kind of peer pressure.

Work is a lot like music. Sometimes we endure music (when we are visitors) but it is not really our type. Sometimes we endure work as well! There are days when a favorite song does not appeal, much like work too. Other times we endure a popular song because everyone is singing in, then we find that we begin to like it. Same with work, we can start a new task and despise it, then find we enjoy it over time. We can also despise certain music because we believe it is offensive, destructive and simply rude. Some work also raises ethical questions.Sometimes, a song which has an offensive message may have a catchy tune, and we ignore the words for the love of the song. Some people endure work that makes them sick!

We should also say that work, principled and good work, is also beautiful. Human creativity, bringing order and provision to life is a beautiful thing. Hard as it may be, the order (or music) of life is lovely when we can use our gifts and talents to do something that expresses our mandate to nurture and shape life. A good biography is like a lovely song, tracing the path of work, love and challenges through ups and downs.

Some people ignore music as so much noise. The same way others see work as the disturbance between the weekends! But life is a rhythm and every point in the song matters, adding value to the next part. Our rest and our work both matter. Our skills and talents properly used are as much a part of the song of our lives as the weekends. The challenge is to live every part of our lives, to write every part of the song, that it makes the rest all the more beautiful. No sacred/secular divide. In the end, all of life can be a song of praise.

Looking for wisdom in the 21st century

When most people think of wisdom, they will either imagine someone with incredible academic skill (and language that only professors can understand) or street smarts (usually a fast talker with the ability to sell sand to Bushmen, perhaps a Katondo street salesman).  Alternatively they may think of a man with a long grey beard sitting on a hill side gazing at a waterfall in deep thought. But the real picture of wisdom is very different. Most importantly, real wisdom is available to all of us.

Wisdom is about skilful living. More accurately, wisdom would be understanding life and skilful living would be called “prudence” (i.e. timely application of principles), but they fall in the same “family” of words. Wisdom is timeless, that is why it can be passed on from generation to generation. Let us also remember that human nature does not change, even if technology does. That means that, in principle, wisdom has value across the generations, no matter the context it will be applied in. David Atkinson, writing about the book of Proverbs, tells us:

despite the centuries which separate us from the authors of these sayings, the unchanging continuities of human existence remain: making friends, coping with sexuality, handling money, responding to poverty, making  a living, learning through loss, muddling through difficulties, facing death, and so on. These are the constant human themes, and Proverbs addresses them all. Wisdom is about helping people to cope; about seeing things in a fresh way which gives resources for living… it puts a mirror up to our behaviour and says, ‘Are you like this? Is there a better way to live?’ 

This presupposes, as I have already said, that there is a common thread connecting us, a shared human nature. This nature, both physical and moral, can be called an order or law of nature. Atkinson goes on to say:

We know deep inside us, what moral obligation means, and that it confronts us from without. Moral obligation is not simply something we make up for ourselves. We know that recoiling in horror against genocide in Rwanda or ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Bosnia is not a matter of personal taste and preference for those who do not like that sort of thing. There is an objective moral order which confronts us.

This is now more an African and Asian perspective than it is Western. Post modernism has swept through the first world and with it the idea that each person can choose their own right and wrong, their own wisdom. Now the voices protest about anyone insisting on moral standards at all. Hopefully, the tide is turning. Atkinson further explains:

in recent decades there have been moral philosophers who have argued that morality, if it means anything at all, is essentially private and personal. That usually means subjective and relative. More recently, however, there has been a recovery of the fact that moral obligation has an objective dimension (which ordinary common sense tells most of us anyhow).

Once he has made a case for objective morals which apply to all human beings, he focuses on the personal, omniscient source of these standards. “Christian believers identify that source of moral value with God.”

The search for wisdom only makes sense if there is a standard which applies to all people of all times. That standard only makes sense if there is a guarantee that the system will continue to work, to bring a satisfying foundation for our true identity, the road to a fulfilling purpose and that life can have meaning even in the midst of meaningless trouble and apparently senseless times and chance.

For Atkinson, as for those who share his faith, there can only be one conclusion:

The God whom Jesus Christ reveals is the Creator whose ordering wisdom lies behind everything that exists, whose moral character gives meaning to our awareness of right and wrong, and whose Holy Spirit infuses us with life, light, love and creativity.

We cannot begin a search for wisdom without accepting that there is a standard of right and wrong that is bigger than all of us. If we fail to do this, then there is not only no point to the hunger and longing, but there is also no logic is any of us ever again saying “It’s not fair”. But somehow even the most confident agnostic will not say “This is inconvenient” or “this is illogical” but “It’s not fair, it’s not right” when they are wronged (however they may interpret wrong in the post-modernist philosophy). Learning wisdom begins in seeing right and wrong. It’s that simple. But this is only the beginning of the journey, which leads us to the source, and all that is in store for those who hunger and thirst for more.

What is Zambian fashion?

When you look around you see that Zambians like an army of ambassadors, with fashion from every corner of the world. We see the Nigerian Boo-boo, the Congolese Chitenge, the Italian pointed shoes, the Rockers tight jeans, the Rumba baggy trousers, the Cowboy hat, the Indian Sari, the Che Guevara t-shirts, not to mention tattoos, dreads, pierced noses, ankle chains, Alaskan boots...

So what is the Zambian fashion? Some go to traditional ceremonies and say "there it is!", and we all pretend it is modest and acceptable while people who are more covered in mini-skirts are condemned! Somehow watching "Shaka" is a family activity, but not "Baywatch". What do you think, what is Zambian dressing, and why the double standard?

The bottom line is we seem to have parallel systems of dress and modesty. Newspaper front page pictures of a traditional ceremony with bare chested women is modest, but a picture of women in a night club in the Friday Post is unacceptable. You find teens who are ready to wear swimsuits around their friends, but would flee for cover if their guardians showed up. Why be ready to dress like that with strangers but not around family?

 Stemming back to colonial times, parallel systems of dress, education, belief and lifestyle were perfectly acceptable. This has resulted in both good and bad in society.

People effectively marry three times in Zambia even when they marry once; that is, traditionally, by civil law and in church. But any one of the three would be acceptable for it to be considered a real marriage (not one third of a marriage!)

Similarly, people seem to accept having three different types of "morality", freely choosing to live by traditional, Christian or post-modernist thinking. (Post-modernists believe there is no right and wrong, no taboos and moral limits, but 'whatever makes you happy' is acceptable). It is more common for people to switch between the three according to what is "convenient" at any one moment.

There are no easy answers to this situation. In some ways it has made us very tolerant and accommodating people. But at the same time, we need to rethink our worldviews, to actually believe something and stand for something. Otherwise, we are living the life of a shadow, changing shape according to who is around. Sometimes we have to stand for or against something. Our reputation as peace loving is not a bad thing, as long as it does not mean we throw principles out the window in the name of expedience.  We need to find answers for these hard questions. There is a saying, "If you do not stand for something, you will fall for anything."

So the question of fashion is part of a wider questions of values and worldview. Then the fashion can reflect that identity. Values are, after all, a question of what we prize and promote, and what we find offensive. But then again, perhaps but unique blend of everything in the global village might be a true reflection of where we are.

Are the days of Nshima numbered? Is it time to change our staple food?

  Year after year farmers watch the skies, wondering if there will be enough rain (or too much) for the maize crop. While lack of maize could threaten food security, other crops like Cassava and Sorghum, which are more resistant to weather changes, are largely ignored. What if we changed our staple food, and all our nshima was made for Cassava meal or Sorghum or Millet? Why not?

  One historian says that maize was only introduced in sub-Sahara Africa in 1889 (in Zimbabwe) and from there it was introduced in Zambia along the line of real. Before that,Millet and Sorghum were used for our nshima. That means for hundreds of years we had a different flour for our food, and maize is in fact a new comer on the scene!

  This may sound shocking, but the source points out a number of 'clues' to the fact that maize was a latecomer on the scene. There are many areas where the maize is soaked by being dried again and pounded. This is what is done to Cassava before it is ground, otherwise the Cassava is poisonous. The same soaking is done with Cassava leaves. So how did people start the practice of soaking maize as well? The logical assumption is that people who used to do this for Cassava transferred the practice to maize when it was introduced, even though maize does not have the poisonous properties when consumed directly. Many of the traditional grinding tools point to the fact that millet was more common at some point. Unfortunately, the challenge is that all of this is oral history.

  And besides, we are so used to maize that we almost have drug withdrawal symptoms when we go without it for too long!

  Of course, this just means we are used to heavy nshima, and our culture has adopted it. There was a time when we would have rice and chicken on Christmas (special days) and nshima was the daily diet. Imagine a day when rice is the norm and nshima is for special occasions! In a hundred years Zambians may be saying "How did we ever live without millet?" What is a hundred years in the grand scheme of things? Does this seem impossible? All it would take is another decade of unpredictable rain, and shifting our main food will be a matter of pragmatics. What do you think about the future of Zambia's favourite food?