Nail in the Fruit Tree Vine

I am the true vine, and my father is the gardener. He breaks off every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and he prunes every branch in me that does bear fruit, so that it would be clean and bear more fruit.                                                                                                                                                                                                         John 15: 1-2

I grew up in a compound which had two avocado trees of different species or so I think. One was tall with few branches which were infected by a fungus plant. It produced big tasteless fruits and we cared less about it only eating its fruits if we had no option. The other tree was shorter with many branches and produced tasty fruits. I took my time to cut off the fungus plants from it regularly.

I love avocados because it serves me more than any other fruits. It is a vegetable that makes good salad and ‘margarine’ to spread on bread. So when my good tree started to drop its fruits when they have not matured I became concerned. We had to do with fruits from the other tree for a full season until a good friend in school gave me a gold bar of an idea. I could not wait to implement it if it will re-unite me with the tasty avocados again.

I went home and climbed the tree and cut off all the fungus crippling plants. Then I nailed a six inch nail into the stem of the tree. The nail worked miracles and soon I was enjoying my bread and githeri (mixture of maize and beans) tasted better with avocado. My afternoons were great with a tantalizing half green avocado after a good meal. I came to understand this magic during Biology classes in secondary school. When the tree lacks in mineral iron, its fruits cannot mature and so the nail is an iron supplement.

Christ says that he is the true vine and if you are in him he will take care of you so that you bear much fruit. If you are dropping fruits and you feel like your fruits of the spirit are not maturing, then go to Christ for a supplement. He took the six inch nails for us hence the only thing we need to do is to connect to him. Abide in him and bear much fruits! May you be known for the good fruits you produce. God bless you and thanks for reading my stories.

© February 1, 2011. 

The Power of the tongue

Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?
Ecclesiastes 5:5-7

There is power in words. My good Pastor Ambrose Nyangao at Parklands Baptist Church puts it very clearly- that if you keep calling your child a goat he will bleat at you one day. I do not always acknowledge the born again cliché of speaking into each other’s life either just for the sake of it.

Years ago when I was in secondary school, I did History, Social Ethics, Christian Education, and Geography. I was good in History and always earned the least in Geography despite being the best in my class.  In Form Two we were supposed to choose one of the four. In the final term, we sat for the hardest of the Geography papers- on rocks. I came out top of my class though I still scored the least compared to all the Humanities. What mattered is what the teacher a Mr. Adembesa wrote on my answer sheet- a promising Geographer. I still remember it because this is what made me choose Geography instead of History.

What astonished me is that when I joined University and I had a choice to pick three more units, I took Geology. I studied the earth and the science part of Geography and I loved it. Then it hit me- STOP, a teacher had said a few years earlier that I was a promising Geographer. Here I am a trained Geologist serving the Lord in earnest.

Watch the words you tell the younger people in your life, it may just come to pass. When someone is good in something affirm them and pray for them, you might just lead them towards their destiny.

©  23^rd January 23, 2011                                                                                             kenyatta otieno

The stones will shout in worship of the Lord

Jesus answered, “I tell you that if they keep quiet, the stones will start shouting” 

- Luke 19:40

I thank God for the opportunity to share with you in this blog. I trust Him for content to share so that I can be more frequent in my blogging. I did my undergraduate degree in Geology and it was an exciting experience despite doing it by default. The fact that we were able to call rocks by name when everyone else called them stones was a source of pride. The university was known for student unrest where students stoned everything in sight at the slightest provocation. To exonerate ourselves we made T-shirts printed, ‘we don’t throw stones we study them.’ 

I thank God for giving me a job with a Christian Non Governmental Organization as a Hydrogeologist soon after i completed mys studies. We drilled rocks to make boreholes to give people physical water as a means of sharing the Living Water that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. I loved the travelling and the opportunity to share with people in remote areas of Kenya about the love of Christ. I was killing two birds with one stone and that was an opportunity I thanked God for. I still serve the Rock of Ages by dispensing the Living Water at Mavuno Church.

Borehole drilling being a physically and logistically demanding job, we sometimes forgot about the gospel and just concentrated on the technical aspect of the job. This became apparent when we experienced  mechanical breakdown. We got the opportunity to drill a well at Gilgil Sub-District hospital- which has the second largest mental health facility in Kenya after Mathari Hospital. The mental health patients who were on their way to recovery were given a few hours to come and watch us work.

I remember one of them who kept telling us that he is a pastor and went ahead to proclaim to us how God is doing great things in his life. In such circumstances we took his words as effects of extreme sedation and a futile attempt to prove that he did not belong in the facility. When we were almost finalizing the work, he came to us dressed in home clothes and told us he will be getting discharged soon. The next sentence he said was a blast that left all of us in shock. But then he just reminded us of our first calling, “If you do not preach the gospel, these drilling rods will preach it for you.” He then walked away as if to prove that that was neither a moment of spiritual fluke nor fake proof of his mental fitness.

We left that drilling site with a slap on the face and a pat on the back, God was definitely at work and we had to do our part. Praise the Lord or less your computers will shout in praise!

© January 16, 2011                                                                                                                        

DO YOU KNOW HOW TO SWIM?

There is a season of one thousand days of my life that I will have to write a story about one day. One day in this season I happened to be at a distant relatives home. She is a widow who had just buried her husband and was in the process of completing her house so we went to assist her build. We worked as we listened to a sermon that has never gone off my mind- yet I was not born again then. This preacher who I can not even remember his name preached a sermon entitled 'Do you know how to swim?' in flawless dholuo that kept my ears glued to the cassette player.

He told a story of an Economics Professor from the U.S.A who went for a conference in India. He had to cross the Ganges River at some point so he hired a boat to take him across. He harassed the man with questions about globalization, world economic trends and big talk about the economics he knew. This Indian man kept telling him that all he knew was the river and his boat. Then all of a sudden the boat capsized and every man was left to his own means of survival. The Indian man swam across to the other side then saw his client pop out of the water then slip back in quick successions. He jumped into the river, rescued him then gave him first aid.

When the Professor came to, he reminded him of all the big talk he had told him earlier. Then he asked him the big question- Do you know how to swim?

The preacher went ahead to explain how we are becoming an information minded people, who do not know the simple things in life. One of the simple things he said is knowing Christ, who will help you know how to swim through the tough times of life. He said how our society is decaying yet more and more people are getting an education which does not teach about values.

You are an IT, Law, Sports, Environmental or Finance expert, but do you know how to swim?


copyright: kenyatta otieno

Christianity 911

Psalm 91:1 - He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
What is Christmass my people? Where would Joseph and Mary be today were they to live in our times? What is the essence of the birth of Christ?

Christianity is a rescue mission, God came to seek and save man from his sin by  bringing  Jesus to the world. Christmass is the declaration of war against the powers of evil headed by Lucifer, it is the beginning of a rescue mission.

Nothing has changed many years later, we are required to seek ye first the kingdom of God then obey the Great commission and go out to make disciples, DO WE EVER DO THAT?

If Joseph and Mary would have survived the dust raised by the pre-marital pregnancy and went ahead and wedded, where would Jesus have been born?

If he was born and grew up today and had the opportunity of celebrating Christmas with us, where would he be in, Shags or in Nairobi? One thing I'm sure about is that Christ would seldom be in church, he wouldn't attend even a carol service, where would he be then?

It is time we left the Christianity ivory towers and went down to respond to the 911 call. That is the essence of Christianity, as it was then so it is now. Face book and email are here, if Christ had this massive media of communication what would he do with them? I believe he would influence the whole world.

Christ went against the grain in his time, he went through Samaria to reach out to the Samaritan woman, when the people of Judah never interacted with their Samaritan cousins. He healed on the sabbath and ate with sinners and still held onto his mission because he knew who he was and understood his mission. Do you know why you are who you are?

One thing I have come to realize about my walk with Christ is the importance of, taking up my cross and following him. Dial Psalms 911.

MERRY CHRISTMASS

PEACE

TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES AND SAY YES

Exodus chapter 3.

I was reading the book of Exodus when something struck me and I was delivered from my fears. I identify with Moses, or to be in the times, I feel Moses. Like him, my mind works faster than my mouth can speak and so I would tell God to send you if He asked me to go and speak to Pharaoh. I got several lessons from the burning bush experience that i would like to share with you today.

TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES: God asked Moses to take off his shoes which then would have exposed him to the thorns and scorpions of the desert. For us to be used of God there is a level of vulnerability we have to expose ourselves to. Shoes here signify status or other things we hold dear to our hearts. We have to let go and die to self.

GOD’S STRENGTH IN OUR WEAKNESS: That God sometimes will not take away the ‘thorn’ in our flesh- Paul’s thorn was not known but God did not take it away either. When Moses complained about his speech problem, I believe he expected God to heal his stammering pap. But God did not; he chose to glorify himself in Moses’ stammering. He organized for his brother Aaron to speak on his behalf but Moses had to accomplish the mission.

WHAT I HAVE: I sometimes feel that if only I could communicate fluently, I would do many great things. Though I thank God I have done many things as well as (if not better) any person with fluent speech. God used Moses’ shepherd staff to pass the message across in such a way that Pharaoh never failed to acknowledge that God had sent him. I believe I am special and that God uses special means to assist me pass my message across. God will use the simple things you have to achieve great stuff in your life inspite of your weaknesses for the honour and glory of His name. Take of your shoes and say yes.

© kenyatta otieno

For such a time as this!

Esther 4:14-

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to the royal position for such a time as this.

The book of Esther is famous for the verse quoted above. This is one verse that humbles me out of my human arrogance and pride and reminds me that I am not all that in a bag of chips. It reminds me that God’s work will be done inspite and despite of who I think I am. My take out is usually that it is a privilege and honour to be used of God as Esther stepped up and stood in the gap for the Jews.

It also reminds me of the Mordecai’s of this world who will tell us the truths that will make us take that plunge. It is the above statement that led Esther to say that she will go to the King without his summons, an act which was equivalent to treason. She called for a fast and said even if she will die, let her die. It is this act of courage that saved the Jewish exiles in Babylon.

Every generation enjoys privileges bestowed on them by the older folks. My generation in Kenya did not fight for independence yet we have enjoyed the fruits of it. We are the generation that finished off the agitation for a greater democratic space that was started in the late eighties. Every generation has a responsibility to make things better for themselves and for those who will come after them. You were created for such a time as this, step out; you cannot coin an excuse good enough to excuse yourself.

As much as I am humbled by the fact that I am dispensable, I have a duty to step out and do what I need to do. Meanwhile you need to seek the face of God and fast and pray as an anchor to the whole process. Mordecai was a man who through simple acts saved the Israelites from annihilation schemes of Haman the Agagite. This is insight that if one wants to have an impact of change in this world you must pray to God to always keep your sight ahead of the pack.

This is the time.