WertBlog

I found this intiative started after the violence that engulfed Kenya after the elections to be of great importance. You can visit the Msafara website at msafara.co.ke and the blog at msafara.wordpress.com . Just something I got from their site: Hope In Naivasha from Pastor M's Blog by MW An encouraging story from Naivasha. A week ago, I was privileged to be among a small group of pastors from Nairobi who visited one of my favorite places in Kenya. Our mission: to meet representatives from the different pastor's fellowships in order to share the vision of Msafara (www.msafara.co.ke). Rather late in the day, we realized it was the first joint pastor's meeting since the violence in that town. Twist! The divisions that had happened there had not spared the church, and there was much tension even among the pastors present. Feeling very inadequate, we challenged those at the meeting to put aside their differences and to work together to take back their city from anarchy. At so...

Teresa Neumann (February 7, 2008) "God must have been so pleased with Lee's outspoken endorsement of Him because the divine entity blessed Lee in his running for the presidency. Otherwise, how else can Lee—a person who attributes all matters of life to God's divine providence—explain his victory?" (Beijing)—The new president-elect of South Korea, Lee Myungbak, is a committed Christian. As mayor of Seoul in 2004, Myungbak declared: "I declare that the City of Seoul is a holy place governed by God; the citizens in Seoul are God's people; the churches and Christians in Seoul are spiritual guards that protect the city...I now dedicate Seoul to the Lord." (Photo: Wikipedia) Reporter Sunny Lee noted that Myungbak was born into a devout Christian family and later became an elder in his church. He also noted that upon winning the nomination from the Grand National Party as its presidential candidate, Lee visited the Christia...

Teresa Neumann (February 5, 2008) "Everyone, including politicians, expects the churches to play a big role in terms of reconciliation, healing, resettlement and trust building." (Kenya)—Churches across Kenya, once considered Africa's most stable country, are being asked to play a key role in bringing peace to the violence-torn nation in a desperate attempt to prevent all-out genocide. (Photo: AP Images / Bernat Armangue) "Everyone, including politicians, expects the churches to play a big role in terms of reconciliation, healing, resettlement and trust building," said Canon Peter Karanja, general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK). "We will need sustained and committed engagement of our international ecumenical partners if we are to fulfill that role." According to a Christian Post report, Kenyan churches are seeking a long-term h...

Teresa Neumann (February 5, 2008) "Music is a form of sensed continuity that can sometimes break through the most overpowering disconnections in our experience of time. There is something spiritual about music, and something musical about the human spirit...God is the composer and librettist. We are each called on to be voices in the choir, singers of God's song." (London)—A touching Times U.K. report has addressed the profound effect music has on us. As an example, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks quotes from Oliver Sacks' book, Musicophilia, which in turn tells the "poignant story" of Clive Wearing, an "eminent musician and musicologist, who was struck by a devastating brain infection," resulting in amnesia so acute that he was unable to remember anything for more than a few seconds. Though we are often admonished to "live in the present," Wearing's wife described her husband's shattered life this way:...

Michael Ireland (February 1, 2008) "I have been clinging to the verse you gave me. I shared it with a Kenyan friend who was on the verge of suicide because of the chaos. It literally saved his life, giving him hope to go on." (Kenya)—More than 30 days after the presidential elections in Kenya, political tension remains high. As a result of the violence, 650 people have been killed, and over 250,000 have been displaced. The latest edition of Missions Catalyst reports that all of the SIM (Serving in Mission) missionaries in Kenya are safe, and that God is using them to encourage their Kenyan brothers and sisters. One missionary, serving on the SIM Sudan team based in Nairobi, wrote, "We grieve for friends like Lydia, who fled for her life from Eldoret. She and her husband have lost everything. We wept together as she shared their trauma." "I wrote Psal...

Amazing Scene as 200 Kenyan Children, On Their Own Initiative, Pray for their Country and Get Miraculous Results Michael Ireland (February 1, 2008) Ever since the children started praying together, the pastor says there have been no deaths, houses burned or even violence in their section of this slum. Adults recite this fact in amazement. The children, however, don't even mention it because it's exactly what they expected to happen. "Pastor told us that there is power in prayer. He said we can change the country through prayer," says 12-year-old. "So that is what we are doing, changing the country." (Kenya)—In the latest edition of Missions Catalyst , Sue Sprenkle, an overseas correspondent for the International Mission Board, who has been reporting from Africa for 10 years describes a scene inside the small, tin shack of a Baptist church filled with children. "After three weeks of post-election ...

Someone asked me once whether marriage was a ministry or calling. I never had an answer that day, but the more I look at it, marriage is indeed a calling and there is a ministry in marriage. Well, I am not yet fully ready to comment on this issue, maybe I will soon, but I came across a blog with a powerful message. This lady writes a message that I believe encourages people to get back to the basics and discover the true purpose of marriage - a ministry that ministers the love that Christ has for the church to the world. You can get the entire blog and more here . Otherwise, here is some really good reading from Nikki Washington, CEO Glowmagazineonline.com . The Marriage Ministry I don't think people take marriage seriously anymore. For some it's just something you do so that you can jointly file taxes, or share benefits, or some other silly means of economizing. For some marriage is just a...

Recently, one of my friends and I had a debate on heaven and hell - it's existence and what is it's state today, in the past and in the future. Also, there was the issue of whether people go to heaven now or are just in a state of suspended animation of sorts till Jesus returns. Now they presented a very good case on their points and well I presented mine. In the end we agreed to disagree - hey, we are still friends - we are not going to let doctrinal issues separate us. After all, Paul talks of the unity of faith and not unity of doctrine. I am not sure we will achieve that this side of eternity. Eph 4:12-16 MKJV (12) for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. (13) And this until we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; (14) so that we no longer may be infants, tossed to and fro and carried about by...

I got a chance to take a week's holiday in Italy so I made use of it by visiting a couple of sites in Rome, Florence and Tivoli. As it is said, a picture speaks more than 1000 words, I guess that is what will speak most in this posting. It is an enjoyable place. Tip: When traveling to Italy and you intend to do the tour - the best way to see the place is on foot. Pack a good pair of shoes and if it is in the hot summer, take plenty of water along each day. The walking may be tiring, but the fun of seeing all these wonderful sites - mostly ancient (some not so ancient) is worth every step. My first tour was of St. Peter's Basilica and the surroundings. It was a wonderful place to tour and the crowd to see the place was quite large. Then we took to the streets, looking at the old town, the Tiber River, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountaon, Castel Sant'Angelo, Fountain of the Four Rivers (which was being restored), the Spanish steps - which provided a very nice panoramic view of R...

Posted September 12, 2007 | 02:53 PM (EST) Read More: how to be happy , love at work , office affairs , Breaking Living Now News A few nights ago, a friend told me an interesting story. When she'd started her job at a major financial institution, a family friend, who also worked there, pulled her aside to give her some advice about avoiding having an affair. Email Print Comment Many of the people who worked at their firm had affairs, he said. He'd seen it himself. And lots of marriages broke up. His own marriage had stayed strong for thirty years, and he wanted to tell her the five rules he'd always followed to make sure he'd never be tempted. ...

Visiting the fashion capital of the world was rather interesting. I saw a D&G (Dolce and Gabbana) Handbag for 35900 Euro with a matching pair of shoes for 1900 Euro . Now even if the price was in KES (Kenya Shillings) that would be a bit pricey - ok, maybe not a bit but a lot. I guess the target market is that class of people who have their own private jet, with a private runway which you can taxi to the back of their house (such as John Travolta) and probably own a Caribbean Island as part of their real estate portfolio. Well, here are some photos. Milan The Duomo I guess was the highlight of the visit. Built in a Gothic style, it is the third largest of its kind. It is undergoing restoration but well, it is a really cool building. The chaps who worked on it were really dedicated. Rather complex and intricate designs. Night Out Walking on the fashion streets lets you know why Milan is indeed the fashion capital of the world.

Forget counting sheep, next time you are having trouble dropping off to sleep try putting on a jazz CD. Researchers have shown just 45 minutes of relaxing music before bedtime can make for a restful night. The Taiwanese researchers studied the sleeping patterns of 60 elderly people with sleep problems. They told the Journal of Advanced Nursing, how the technique was easy to learn and lacked the side-effects of other treatments. If anyone is a bit agitated before they go to bed then anything that can help calm them down and relax is a good thing. Professor Jim Horne, from the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University The study participants were either given a choice of music to listen to before going to...