Systems Overload!

There is this little restaurant in my town that I have been curious about for a long time. The name of the place is “Beana’s ” and the décor outside the place - brightly colored watering cans, a big flower box with huge fake sunflower plants, a huge cactus plant cut-out, some multi-colored flags and some neon lights - have always fascinated me. So I decided the other day to feed my curiosity and go in. This was an experience and a half! I think I have moved up a notch in my multi-cultural education.

Now the moment I walked in my eyes were overwhelmed! I did not know where to look or even when and where to sit. It was a small place with two seating areas and the whole place was crammed with stuff! There was stuff hanging on the walls and from the ceiling that made it look like an overloaded Christmas tree. The place looked like a bird’s nest (some birds, like magpies and crows, love collecting stuff especially shiny things). There were different types of Crosses hanging on the wall, many religious pictures and a few portraits of some guys in some traditional garb, there were shiny Christmas-like décor hanging off the ceiling. It just seemed to me like the there was not an empty space on the walls and the ceiling. Many small tables filled the place – each of these tables had a different colored and flowery tablecloth! The chairs were mismatched too. Two Mexican flags hung proudly in the room as were the sombreros on the wall. On top of the half-wall partition that divided the two seating areas, there were vases of plastic dark blue flowers and multicolored animal figurines. There were glasses and mugs hanging from a lowered part of the ceiling that ended at what look like the entrance to the kitchen. On the floor near a table at the entrance of the restaurant, sat the top sewing part of an old “Singer” sewing machine. This was fascinating to me because my mother had one those a long time ago – they usually came with a specially designed table that had a foot pedal for sewing. I wondered what it was doing on the floor, almost under the table – was this part of the décor? Was it deliberately placed there? Did it have some cultural significance or was it a sentimental one?

In this restaurant, you just walk in and seat yourself wherever you fancy. Now, then, just as if this was a movie set, in walks a gentleman… (Senor) to be precise! Coming from the kitchen area. He has on a sombrero, a bandana, a moustache and some cowboy boots (for lack of a better description here). The old man fit in perfectly with the whole atmosphere. Now honestly, I expected him to speak to the waiter in Spanish but he spoke in English, with no trace of an accent whatsoever! I concluded that he was part of the establishment there….maybe even the manager. There was no clearly designated place for a sales counter. The only thing that made me realize where it was, was the phone hanging on the wall and the papers near an old cupboard with distressed paint with a lone padlock in the middle (the kind that we used to call “Kabati” at my great grandmother’s). This ambiance was topped off with some mellow Mexican music that seemed out of place in this setting of clashing, loud colors, millions of hanging paraphernalia and mismatched furniture.

What about the food you ask? I wish I could say that it was as unique as fascinating as the place but alas, it was disappointing! The chicken quesadilla that I ordered looked like some left over chicken that had been shredded, with a hint of bean soup – salsa and sour cream together with Doritos chips came on the side. Honestly I have eaten better quesadillas at Taco Bell and Baja Fresh – and cheaper too. My impression of the food there was not helped by the fact that I had noticed when I came in that one of the tables had a Dunkin Donut paper bag on it. I concluded that it most probably had brought in a donut, maybe by one of the workers there (I doubt they would allow a customer to bring in food from outside). So if someone working there buys food from elsewhere, would that inspire a lot of confidence in the food there for me?

So would I go there again? Maybe for the appreciation of the cultural décor or to take pictures if they would allow me……

Windshield Larger than Rear View Mirror

This is my fourth windshield replacement on my Xterra. I know some of you readers have not had an auto glass repair or replacement in years! You can't even remember when you ever did it. So I keep asking myself, why me? The only little consolation I have is the fact that Over 11000000 windshields are damaged in the U.S. each year.

I can hear your advice; keep of the dirt roads, why do you follow the trucks (some of them have signs reading DO NOT FOLLOW), buy extra insurance ... and so on. You know what you should be doing? - feeling my pain. Now that some of you have never experienced this part of owning a car here is a quick lesson;

(a) Auto glass is an important structural component of your vehicle, so a quality installation is important to your safety. A Urethane adhesive is applied to the vehicle frame. The vehicle is safe to drive in and about one hour for most installations.
(b) It really doesn't take long to have a windshield repaired or replaced. My appointment was for 12:00 Noon and I was done by 12:45. That means a repair shop can make $250.00 every 45 mins. I can see dollar signs hanging over your head. Please get back to understanding my woes.

(c) Windshield replacement falls under the comprehensive portion of your insurance rather than the collision portion. Therefore the repair or replacement of your windshield will not influence your insurance premiums. Double check with your insurance carrier for payments.

(d) Beware of Windshield Scams. Unfortunately it seems there is always someone who is looking for a way to take advantage of the naïve. It's no different in the auto glass world. Be wary of any someone that suggests: To replace the entire window when you have a small chip in the glass; Offers to give you cash in return for letting them do your insurance glass job; They are unwilling to give you a written estimate before the work is started; To let them do the job "off the books"; That you must use their service because they are the authorized shop for "Big Insurance Corp" insurance.

Well, there you have it. My windshield is replaced. Using this pen and paper I tell it - Do not crack or chip ever, not with this Xterra.

The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass - Rev 21:18

Summer Visits

What places have you visited this Summer?

Ecstatic Worship!

If you have attended a charismatic or Pentecostal church, you must have seen this one person (or more) who was so enraptured in their praise, adoration and worship of God that they were crying or kneeling or even lying prostrate. Or maybe, as a friend of mine who is unfamiliar with this church phenomenon describes it “… they were so into it that they passed out!” ……hey, maybe that was you in that state of Spiritual ecstasy. And then you may have also noticed other members of the congregation (maybe you) sitting or standing quietly by sometimes also worshipping quietly and sometimes watching the ones whose inward worship is being manifested in outwardly. These people who do not seem “into it” might actually also be deep in prayer and worship but without the emotion or the physical excitement. Now, having attended church a great portion of my life, I have been both an observer and a participant of this phenomenon at different times.

See, I have been listening to this particular song of worship to God – essentially a love song to God. The Singer tells God He is worthy of praise and He goes on to praise the attributes of God! Now, I don’t know whether it is the music or the lyrics or the fact that this song is in KiSwahili (I think that will be one of the languages spoken in heaven!), but this song seems to transport me to another place and another time! A place of ecstasy and love where the sweetness of the love of God almost becomes tangible…..ooohh, I cannot describe it but it is a place where everything and everyone else ceases to exist and the moment seems frozen in time. Now, worship songs and music seem to do this to me. However not all songs do and even the same song might not elicit such a reaction all the time. I started wondering how it is that some people experience such depths of feeling while some do not. This is definitely not a measure of one’s love for God or commitment to God since even secular music can affect one’s emotions or composure. How two people could be worshiping God and in the same place, with the same atmosphere and yet one seemingly gets so “into it” and the other one stands quietly by. And this has led me to thinking about how and why this happens. Of course, I cannot not go into any theological or doctrinal discussions as those are too lofty for me.

OK so here are my thoughts;
1. Could it be because of their emotional make-up? So people are very expressive and some are not. A good example in the Bibles is when David danced so hard as the Ark of the Covenant was coming back, that all his clothes fell off. Now, his wife Michal was very embarrassed by his un-kingly behavior and she rebuked him for that outward show of emotion. So for some, this is by nature and some by upbringing. For example I know that many African men were brought up to believe that real men do not cry! And especially not in public! So maybe this extends to public worship.

2. Could it be because of their religious background? – some people were brought up in churches where any show of outward emotion was frowned upon, or even not allowed and an usher would quickly whisk away such a person. For these, true worship is a personal and quiet meditation. Some people however grew up in churches that were loud and full of action. (I have attended a church where worship time seemed chaotic – people shouting and laughing, jumping up and down and running all over the sanctuary, with the drum and the organ playing). Of course this would be totally distracting to the one who worships silently.

3. Could it be because of their Spiritual standing (and I am not in any way suggesting that anyone who has a relationship with God must show it in a physically expressive way). But maybe there might be someone who is not moved because they do not know the one that they are worshipping. How can you worship one whom you do not know? How can you get into it if you do not have a relationship with God in the first place? One could try to force themselves or even work themselves into a frenzy but if they have do not believe in Him whom they are worshipping then they are just playing games and that brings me to another thought…

4. Could it also be that some of us are just going through the motions, doing what we think should happen in a service….think of the times that you have lifted you hands in Church when the preacher told you to and you did it – not knowing or asking why? Could it be because of lack of knowledge? Some people have no clue what is happening! So they become puzzled and somewhat fearful observers.

5. Could it be a product of the moment or the time and the atmosphere of the service or fellowship? Or maybe it is a result of something else, something greater than the human mind can comprehend. I like to think of it as in individual touch by God in a personal way…..

Whatever it is my friend and however you experience and express your worship of God, I wish you a touch of ecstasy by and in the love of God.

Ok, I know that I may have gone in way over my head in this blog - but that is what happens when you have an overload! I attended a great Christian Conference in VA early this month (same one Kim attended – see the previous blog) and it was wonderful….can’t even begin to write of all the things that I learnt and the social aspect of it. I was overfed in every sense of the word!

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Rom 12:1

Harrisonburg, VA

It has become a tradition now that every year, right before Independence Day (July 4th) we attend the KCFA Annual Conference. It's a 5-hrs drive to the beautiful campus of JMU in Harrisonburg, VA so we pack lots of drinks (non-alcoholic, of course), enough Mandazis, CDs/DVDs, chewing gum and a good cheer. Apart from meeting new friends, catching up with old ones and making peace with the not-so-friendly ones, we thoroughly enjoy ourselves. This year's theme was - "A believer Armored" you can imagine how many bullet-proof vests we now have (I mean spiritually). The workshops had good information too. For instance, at the Men's Workshop, all men learned that burnt nyama choma (roasted meat) is not good for their DNA, that annual physicals are a must and that getting enough rest adds a few more years to life. This didn't sit in very well with most of us. How can you deny us meat and ask us to be inspected by nurses? huh! By the way, we consider resting as watching football, nuff said.

Let me also quickly share excerpts from the Finance and Wealth Management workshop.

1. Design your lifestyle ; how do you want to live? like a pauper or a prince?
2. Analyze your lifestyle - just like portfolio management take a look at how you live. Use Zero-base budgeting.
3. Understand the concept of utility. Design a path of growth such as using the power of small and time. Knowing and doing are two different things. Hope is not a strategy.
4. Protect your wealth - Understand risk-return theory. Wealth is created by managing returns. Store away what you earn. Learn from the ant. There's no success without a successor.
5. Income = consumption + savings. What you don't consume you save, what you save you don't consume.

Am sure Jabi learnt something too!

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! Prov 6:6