A Church Engaged beyond its borders-youth reject intermediaries.

Someone is beginning to awaken to the reality of an upsurge in Youth Population. The young people at one of our leading Christian Ministries have managed to bring the Head of State into a place where they can engage him directly. The idea dubbed V86 is described in the New 

Vision (some say the government's de facto paper) of Sunday 24th May. 

It is about giving a platform to the young group of people, who have grown up in the better part of the president's reign. In Kenya we called it the Nyayo Era and there were celebrations at...you guessed it Nyayo Stadium. I was born...much earlier than this so I missed a great opportunity to dress in white and sing and dance before the mammoth crowd. I did get to perform in the presence of his Excellency albeit in a less notable manner holding a tree...made of wood and participating in a poetry session on the subject of tree planting!

There are a few churches which have drawn the attention of the state. The first because of its massive drive to industrialize agriculture. The second because if it's attempt to deal directly and practically with some real needs in South Sudan. It is a natural outflow from this that younger people have emerged perhaps owing to the machinations of change and transition that have been forced to the fore. Rejecting the call to occupy the seats in the back for a spot in the front. 

How this process continues and plays out remains to be seen.

"To split or not to split" that is the Question.

While in Texas we spent Considerable amount of time studying what in those days were referred to as Church Splits. These were complex orchestrations caused by a combination of issues whose effects were often devastating to the leader and pastor of the church. 

Often the two sides tended to congregate around the pastor on one hand and the worship leader on the other as two people of influence who had the power to command vast portions of the congregation. 

In other situations, a young lady or young man of great influence had managed to charm his way into the congregation and by use of blackmail silenced the congregation and its leadership because of precious bits of compromising information he had accumulated over the years. In others it was the attempt by state to have a hand in church in an arranged marriage of sorts designed in some sense to curb the effects of the church over a weakened state (reeling over the indirect influence of the former on civil society).

The literature around some of these happenings (which i had read much earlier) was related to the desire to Control and Manipulate people and was therefore linked to famous characters like Jezebel and her Husband Ahab. The first book I read on this subject was called "Control a Powerful Force" (1997-1998) and dealt with the subject matter in a very comprehensive way. Riots, demonstrations, sits in, and more were clustered under this idea to control and manipulate leadership into bending to the desires of a few. 

Other experts chose to deal with the weaknesses of men, Juxtaposing these weaknesses across the strengths of Women. Still others myself included chose to think of these are simple manifestations of rifts in complex power struggle between families where the death on one member can upset the succession claims of another and a simple birth of a new heir can raise possibilities for often overlooked families. 

Much like the changes in rank that take place when field officers pass on. 

Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman represent an amazing portrayal of some of the forces that are at play when two leaders are confronted with some major challenges and one has to find the balance between the two. 

It appears that the character played by Washington is much younger, black and more scholarly in his approach. The much more aged character played by Hackman is older more experienced and medaled and is clearly basing the bulk of his arguments on time tested experience. 

These two are placed in positions of power in which they have at their control some of the nations most valued arsenal. 

Permit me to draw some parallels of these experiences to spiritual life. 

Maybe what makes this most difficult is the idea that the believer feels like he is dealing with Human Souls and fighting an Eternal battle hose effects he cannot truly fathom. The Minister is therefore In a sense dealing with similar arsenal-capable of defense and also of devastating consequences if it falls into the wrong hands. 

Ephesians 4:11-12

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Broadly speaking both men are called to serve and fulfill three major things, perfect the saints, do the work of the ministry and edifying the body of Christ.

The clash will take place based on the approach that each of these men chose in a time of crisis and on a ship whose rules can be very complex. 

Watch as two distinct sides emerge from a conflict on the Submarine and men are forced to chose between two opposing positions often at the risk of loosing their lives. You have elements of experience clashing over book knowledge as Washington's character makes full use of his knowledge to deal with his superior. There are ideas around age, transition and change. 

The succession idea also comes into play as a third group emerges whose role will prove vital in the restoration of order once the two bulls have clashed in the proverbial field. 

This third group will serve the role of executor of the will of the people and it is this group which we must watch and whose fight we must pay additional attention to. 

Perhaps the other notable idea about this masterpiece is the choice of setting and the complex manner in which conflict takes place in such close quarters and how these groups of men have to deal with it and other issues. Maybe these parallels exist in a similar manner and take the form of relationships that define how we love, live and work and how these fruitful relationships can also have disastrous consequences. 

Shepherds and Kings.

A few days ago, a friend on mine and I were talking about what it means to go after big companies. He cautioned me and rightly so about challenging large companies (names withheld). I responded that I had spent too much time with David and that as a result, I was now convinced that I could take on Giants. 

So I have come up with a few thoughts and ideas about what it means to be David and what possible gems we can derive from his life on what it takes to deal with really big people and groups which not only challenge us but also challenge others around us. 

1. Do what you do well. 

He was a shepherd and made progress in this position. Everything he learnt later was based to a large extent on personal victories which he achieved while in this state. Even if he moved to handle other tasks, he remained true to his core. There is therefore a possibility that even when he governed, he governed to a large extent as a shepherd and saw everything that he did in that context. Those who have study the bible tell us that to a great extent, God met people in their places and positions of work and dealt and spoke with them in these contexts. 

1 Samuel 17:15

But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

2. Be yourself.

Even if you have to be mindful of corporate culture when you make changes in your career, the chances are, that you will gain more respect if you stay true to yourself. There was an attempt by King Saul to dress David in his own Clothes but David Rejected this and kept his own clothes. I was important to him to face Goliath in his own garb. Trying to be like your Boss will be exhausting. When he tried on his Kings armor, it did not fit and he had 'not proved it'. 

1 Samuel 17:38-39

And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

3. Use your Experience and document it.

Conventional wisdom points to the value of CV and resumes as tools that help employers find the right employees. Think not only of that as a valuable tool but think also on these as personal maps into your future and record books that could help you track your progress. The shepherd by was able to make connection between the Bear and the Lion and eventually the Giant. 

1 Samuel 17:34-35

And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth:and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.

4. Rewards matter.

If the reward is big enough give it a try but make sure that you have the skill to match the challenge or you might lose your life (maybe not literally). These challenges will give you an opportunity to interact with people who are also involved in your field of experience and who will be useful in sharpening your skill level. Use these experiences to learn in less traditional settings. 

1 Samuel 17:24-25

And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up:and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.

5. Readiness to leave to achieve more.

There is a part of your life that might require you to temporarily leave one place in favor of another place and position. If you must, make sure that you have taken the time to raise up someone to take your place or that you have ensured a simple transition process. 

1 Samuel 17:20

And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle.

6. Filial challenges.

Try to serve your brothers and save a place for yourself in their hearts.

The same scenario is repeated in earlier texts and in a rather different context. Joseph is clearly the Father's favorite and was doing very little to hide it. The father in this case deploys one of his favored sons to spy on the others knowing full well the possibility to negative outcomes. Contrast this story with the story in which David is sent out to feed his bothers too and has similar attitudes towards their fears. In this case though, it is not very obvious that David is favored by his Father. He is still the errand boy and shepherd. 

Genesis 37:14

And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

Withdrawals and Deposits (Mentorship Explained).

One of the people that I the the privilege serving with used to insist that you cannot make a withdrawal unless you have made some significant deposits. This is simple for those who have accounts. What he was making reference to though, was to do with mentoring and in a sense counseling. 

You as a leader are going to come across many people who will need help and assistance. The amount of time and money and resources that you end up placing in these people will determine how much you can take away from them at critical points in their lives. 

The person you are dealing with is like an account. You are tasked with the job of investing into their account-compliments, suggestions, improvements, and so much more. This is the easier part, the harder part is when you need to chip away important parts of their being. 

No matter what you do, they will not give you access to that part of their hearts if they do not trust you. The trust that you seek will be based on how much you invest in their resource tank and what you have physically done to demonstrate that you care. 

Unless you can prove over time that you care and that you are willing to pay the price, not much of what you do will be accepted. 

I am saying this with a bit of a heavy heart. I guess I do not know how to respond to people who are constantly bombarding us with Criticism about my people and their unwillingness to work. 

Criticism is one thing when it comes from a local, but completely different when it comes from a foreigner. 

Maybe this is the challenge that 'white' Americans face when they criticize a 'black' president. You can call it courage or you can call it audacity. 

We can reason and even accept some of those criticisms when they come from one of our own but you dare not go there as an outsider. 

These are arguments about the nature or the criticism and not the content of the criticism. Even if we marry both ideas, the essence of the argument above is that both forms will be rejected if the authors of these have not in previous moments spend enough time and energy giving fully and wholly to those whom they claim to serve. 

In some of my previous comments, I wrote to you about how a prison camp had emblazoned on its entrance a sign that read "only work can set you free". I went on to attempt to demonstrate how there exists a possibility that the dreams of many could turn out to be nightmares if the promises the were made at arrival were not fulfilled. I then quote the words that were used at the Statue of Liberty to show some of the promises that Lady Liberty Made to her new citizens.

Uganda as a whole and Buganda in Particular runs exclusively as many other countries or settings on the words of its genuine leaders and authorities. 

In the sixties, our Kingdom and its subjects believed in hard work but also moved by the King sought to develop their minds so that that in ignorance they would not spend too much energy. This was one of the messages that Mutesa II gave to his people. A few years down the road, we are not only interested in developing our minds as directed by the King but in harnessing the power of our Youth.

This form of investment has taken on many shapes. For revolutionary people it has meant time in the bush making sacrifices on behalf of the nation. For others it has taken the form of prison time and extensive periods in detention. Others have spent precious moments on the streets demonstrating. One preacher when he was asked a more experienced man why he was having difficulty in the mission field responded "try tears".

Maybe part of the problem in our continent has been how to quantify this investment especially because many of us feel poorly equipped to accomplish our tasks in the four and then possibly eight years which we are given. This is probably a weakness in the democratic system but also a broader problem in a citizenry that are not empowered to make change happen in the absence of visible leaders. 

We find ourselves in the fields of war listening to the taunts of a Philistine Champion as he mocks us. He wants one man and we are still searching for that one man.