welikrus

'...lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God....' Verse 4 (1 Timothy 3:1–5) I grew up hearing this scripture regularly read at home, in Christian meetings, and in the ministry. The message was 'God's Kingdom is near’, and this scripture was cited as evidence that we are living in the last days. I came to understand that "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" were people who had no place in God’s Kingdom—gluttons destined to perish with this old system. Naturally, I have always thought, "That’s not me. That’s the unbelievers. Bad, despicable people. I remember how they are depicted in the book ‘You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth.’  ‘Nde Aworome!’ I could never be counted among them." Tufiakwa! But this morning, as the scripture came to mind again, I reflected on the angels in Noah’s day. They left their proper place to pursue selfish pleasure. Na them! This is a true example of what it means to love pleasure more than God. Plea...

Emotions - Our Human Super Power! "An emotional response is wrong." "Don't be emotional." Often, when we need to make decisions we say these to ourselves or hear other people say them or some other versions of them.  Emotions are frequently vilified, dismissed as irrational, and relegated to the background in favour of logic and reason. These phrases are thrown around so often that many have come to believe emotions are a flaw—something to suppress, control, or ignore. But have you ever stopped to ask: What is wrong with emotions and emotional responses? Emotions are one of the most defining aspects of being human. Yet, they have been treated as weaknesses, and pushed to the background. People are told to rely only on reason, as if emotions have no value in decision-making. But here’s the truth: both reason and emotions are processed in the brain. Our memories are tied to emotions, stored in every part of our being. So the typical ‘heart refers to emotions’ a...

We do not see the world as it is, we see it as we are.  - Anais Nin. This statement resonates with many people but just a few practically understand it. I have always believed I understood its essence, but a recent encounter challenged my perspective, showing me its depth. Let me share my deepened understanding and what I have learned. Our beliefs shape our perception, which shapes our reality. Do you know where our beliefs come from?  We are born with unique traits that predispose us to certain behaviours. In the same home, you may have kids with different traits. One may be quiet and reserved, while another may be loud and outgoing. As we grow, our environment made up primarily of our parents, relatives and community further shapes us, molding us to who we are. Some people broaden their horizons by travelling and reading, exposing themselves to diverse influences farther than their immediate confines permit. Depending on the strength of each of these influences we form a...

Man wants to be free, to do as he wishes. From my observation, man would prefer to die free than to be an immortal slave. He would also thrive in a society where he feels that decisions reflect his choice in matters, even if he were better off otherwise. We pride ourselves on making decisions and living life on our terms. But is it possible that our cherished sense of freedom is nothing more than an illusion?  Often, the pool we choose from is limited to the options available and in most instances these options are often controlled by external factors. The controls get more stringent based on the value that is placed on the thing being considered. For example, you may have more options for things like food and clothing, but that choice narrows as we consider housing, work and in electing public office holders. Let us discuss a few areas where the illusion of choice holds sway. The Illusion of Consumer Choice Choices of food are limited by what you know or what is available ...

As kids, our playground extended to the places where our parents had their farms. They practised rotational farming. Our farmland extended tens of kilometres around my home. Every year, the extended family moved to a new site for agriculture; it took us many more years before we returned to the same site, at which time it had grown into a thicket. This farming method enabled the ground to regain its nutrients to support the crops. Okahia, Rugbueba, and other places were dry land, whereas Ohia Iru (Ohiru) and part of Emerica were marshy with streams during the rainy season. The Streams had water all year round but sometime in the middle of the rainy season, the water from the stream would overrun the farms and that marked the end of that farming cycle. The special thing about farming in the streams was that it was done every year; after the waters receded, the ground would be fertile for farming and so my parents and others returned; giving us another great opportunity to play with wate...

I was at the wash hand basin in the restroom when Darius entered. He greeted me with his customary broad smile and I reciprocated. As he started grooming himself I noticed something prevalent and asked, “Why didn’t you smile?" This seemed to startle him since he had just smiled at me. Before he could say anything I clarified “Why didn’t you smile at yourself when you looked in the mirror?”. His confused expression indicated he didn't understand. He was like “Smile at myself? How, for what?” Are you also confused? To help him grasp my point, I suggested an exercise. "Think carefully and list three people you love the most. You don’t need to tell me who they are. Just let me know when you have the list." You too can join Darius in this exercise. It's an established truth that loving oneself is crucial for self-esteem and being able to love others. If you promised someone mangoes or oranges, how could you fulfil that promise if you had none? Similarly, how can you l...

You must NEVER accept as okay anything that is abnormal/wrong in your life.   You must continue to fight to change your situation no matter how you feel or what others say about how hopeless your situation is.   There is always a 1st time, right? Your getting out of the doldrums may well be one of such.   Your belief that things can change for the better could be the factor that makes it work, against all odds for you.   Do not settle!   Now rise & repeat after me:   I will not accept as okay anything abnormal/wrong in my life. I will fight to change my situation for the better. It may be uncommon in my experience but improving my life will be my testimony. It may not have happened to anyone I know, but I will give testimonies that make the ears of hearers tickle! (Do you get it?)   Now, get to work & make the required changes!

Everywhere there are people, just take a look and you will see a system in place. This system is set up by the people to successfully deal with their environment, with one another, and with people from other groups. This system, a way of doing things, then governs their behavior and how they interact with the world. The rules set up in the system will be largely driven by what the people value. Where this value is not explicit, take a look at what the people reward and celebrate and you will see what their true values are, even when they misstate these. Recall that the system was put in place to regulate the people but after a while the system becomes self-sustaining. It takes on a life and personality of its own and begins to regulate things around it. A close observation often shows that the system then begins to perpetuate itself by dictating for and running the people who are in its sphere. Some call the system a matrix, way, others call it culture, and many other names. Some of th...