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- Author Unknown

A New Earth - Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle the best selling author of The Power of Now, is one of those books whose review would best be left to the reader. If you have read it, you might know what I mean. You might also know that on Monday, March 3rd 2008, TV personality Oprah Winfrey attempted something that’s never been done before. Over 500,000 people simultaneously logged on to watch Oprah Winfrey and Eckhart Tolle lead a live interactive classroom discussion. Each Monday night for the next ten weeks, Oprah and Eckhart Tolle held meetings with people around the world to discuss A New Earth and the significance it has for each of our lives. Each weekly class corresponded to a chapter from A New Earth, with the discussion focusing on the chapter’s themes. Each class was at least one and a half hours long. You can watch or download the webcasts here. Alternatively, you may download the following torrent. If you are in Nairobi and would like a DVD copy of all the ten episodes of the webcast, contact me.

My Mom joined a church sometime ago that is headed by a woman who has the gift to ‘see’. And recently at the behest of my parents, I agreed to pay her a visit. When I went to her place, we had a chat and this is what she told me: that my given name ‘Njuguna’ has a curse associated with it. The reason is because of the history of the man that I am named after; my grandfather from my mother’s side. He had two wives, and my grandmother was the second. The first wife was so bitter that she consulted powers of the darkness and in the process putting a curse on all the ‘Njuguna’ that will come in the lineage of her rival. She said that the curse has the power to affect the lives of all those named ‘Njuguna’ in our family negatively. I happen to be one of them.

And so I asked the seer, what the solution would be. And she jokingly suggested that I could change my name. But then she said that in her next fasting and prayer session, she would present the issue to God for a resolution. She also instructed me on how to pray in order to break that curse – not just for me but also for the other males names ‘Njuguna’ in the family. I did as she instructed and believed that it was done. That was about a month ago.

A friend of mine actually changed her name some time ago. She went about it through the legal system. When I asked her the reason why she changed it, she said that because it meant ‘The one who keeps going back, or going round and round’ – which is what she believes she has been doing all her life, and which she didn’t like. That is why she changed her name to one more in line with what she wants out of life. I remember that at that time, she asked me if I knew what my name means.

What’s in a name? I would have to say everything and nothing, depending on who you are.

I got the following story from a friend this morning. I want to share it with you:

Today God has taken me for a walk. It all started when I asked Him questions early this morning. “Why do you not answer my prayers?” “Why are you so silent?”…questions flowed and so did my tears. Then the answers came, not the ones I wanted to hear, but they came. He told me that Monday was still days away, it was not late…that Xmas was still a month away, so why the tears?

Then came my frustrated answer, “Because I need reassurance God that all will be well.” And he took me for a walk…..in a ‘matatu’ on my way to town.

The first seat I took, I felt that I had to move. And so I went and sat at the back seat where I had a view of everyone. Usually I would have reasoned that I am inconveniencing others by changing seats but I didn’t. A few minutes later, a lady entered the ‘matatu’ and she was wearing a blouse similar to mine which got lost months ago. I was even convinced it was the one. It was a unique blouse and all I was thinking about was that I needed to check one little mark and confirm it was indeed mine.

Then the voice came to me again and started a revelation by answering some of my most persistent questions to God: “How do I know that you will answer my prayers? How do I know I am not doing this in vain?”

He told me this; “Just listen to your heart, for your mind sometimes will work against you by starting to have reasons and logic. When you pray or do something and in your heart it feels right, then it is right. There should never be reason to question your actions if they feel right in your heart. You will just know it.” And for the first time in many days, I felt that whatever I was doing was right, that He is listening to me….I felt it in my heart.

Then came the reassurance I had asked for: He made me realize that He has our life story before we even start living it. By taking the case of the blouse, he made me see sense. When I was given the top, I had sawn it at the back using a very bright thread which was visible against its black color. And all the time I considered re-sewing it with black thread, but I did not bring myself to do it. So, that bright thread was today going to help me identify this blouse. “You see, months ago when you sew the blouse with the bright thread, you had no idea why you did it, but I did, for I knew this day would come….and this is the same way that I know your life story. You may not know why some of these things happen today this way, but they happen for your life story to be. And you should not worry, for I know your future.” As I alighted from the ‘matatu’, the blouse didn’t seem to be important anymore, for the lessons I have learnt are worth much more.

You may not understand my point or story, but it was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced. The conversation and the walk in the spirit.

My favorite shirt has a plain beige color, is short sleeved and has a light material. It is not my most expensive and neither is it at the top of my most spectacular outfit list, but still I often choose it over all my other shirts. And this is because it is just right for Nairobi on a sunny day. Unlike the long sleeved shirts, it enables me to directly feel the sunlight on my forearms and unlike the heavier shirts, I like the way it allows the air to circulate over my upper body.

For God to use you, you do not require to be very smart, or wealthy, or good looking. For when God has work for you, you are the right person for the job. When God uses you, it might seem like you have to go through more trouble than other people. That just means that He needs to sanctify you a little bit more than others – just as a favorite shirt goes through more washing that all the other shirts.

When I picked up the shirt that I wanted to wear today, it was creased and needed to be straightened out. And so I rigged up a temporary ironing station by spreading a towel on top of my dining table, and plugged the iron box into the socket. As the iron box was heating up, I laid out the shirt on top of the towel and was soon passing the hot box over the shirt. With each pass, the material would flatten and all the creases would magically disappear. And as I passed the iron box over the shirt and in different sections, I could see it transforming into what I wanted.

As I thought about what I was doing to the shirt, I realized that this must be what God does with us each day we come to Him. When the many cares of the day crease our spirits, the temptation we cannot resist creases our resolve, the doubts that creep upon us crease our faith, and the disappointments of life crease our hope, God is there to straighten us out using the hot iron of his word, our prayers, and communion with Him. And as I ironed one shirt after another, I realized that the different types of cloth required different treatment in order to be straight. Some were easy and required minimal heat, while some were tough and required the iron box to be set to maximum heat. Some stubborn ones even needed to be sprinkled with water in order to straighten. Isn’t this just like the days that we have? In some days all our affairs are in order and our interaction with God is easy, some days are flaky and we need to spend a bit more time presenting our grievances to God, other days are simply unmanageable and we surrender and break down in His presence. Whatever the day might be like, He is capable of straightening us out, just as I managed to straighten out all those different clothes this morning.

The Parable of the Fern and the Bamboo
- Author Unknown

One day, I decided to quit. I wanted to quit my job, to quit my relationships, to quit my spirituality; I even wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God. “God”, I said. “Can you give me one good reason not to quit?”

His answer surprised me. “Look around”, He said. “Do you see the fern and the bamboo?”

“Yes”, I replied.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.”

“In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.”

“In the third year there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit.”

“In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit.”

“Then. in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant. But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge they could not handle.” He said to me.

“Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots? I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you! Don’t compare yourself to others. The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful. Your time will come,” God said to me. “You will rise high”.

“How high should I rise?” I asked.

“How high will the bamboo rise?” He asked in return.

“As high as it can?” I questioned.

“Yes.” He said, “Give me glory by rising as high as you can. And remember.. I will never leave you, nor forsake you. I will never give up on you. I will never, ever quit on you.”

Up till now, I haven’t been able to post anything about my Grandmother’s passing away until today despite the fact that it happened at the beginning of July. Perhaps acknowledging it here will make it more real, and maybe I still wanted to hold on to her for a little bit longer.

On the day that she died, a group of family members met at a restaurant in town. We just sat there and felt safe in each other’s company. By then, the initial crying had passed and we were just testing the new life without the person that all of us had known all our lives. We all felt a little lost – like the first day at high school – but we knew that we would be fine. Nearly all her children were in that meeting and they were teasing me about being a brother to them rather than a nephew. They remembered that despite the fact that she was my grandmother, she would sometimes say jokingly that she gave birth to me late in life. I had not had the need to cry that day, until my auntie remarked that I was now an orphan – just like her and her siblings. And in an instant, the tears came and flooded every part of my being. I was in a public place surrounded by people, but that did not matter at all. I cried so hard that I had to blindly walk out and sit in the car for a while.

The tears were bitter. The loneliness was total. The loss was overwhelming. I had lost people who are close to me before, but it always felt like a dream that I would wake up from eventually. However, this felt very real; that I was now an orphan. And this is despite the fact that both my parents are alive!

Soon I composed myself and went back to the meeting.

It was a very brief moment that I knew what it felt like to be an orphan. And still, I cannot even tell if that is the worst of it or not. Only God knows! And so right now, my prayer goes out to God to console and take care of every single orphan in the world.

Can you remember how Safari Park Hotel used to look like before it was remodeled to its present design? Neither can I, but its “makuti” fashion was so successful that many other public venues that were put up after the hotel became little replicas of the Safari Park. I suppose the reason is because the design is home grown, attractive, low cost, well ventilated, and makes very good utilization of space. In case you are not familiar, the “makuti” design consists of a circular building whose structure is primarily made from logs, with a roof that is grass thatched. Actually, it is simply a modification of the most common African traditional building; a circular structure made from wood and earth, capped with a conical roof made from grass and sticks. It is a good thing that the traditional style was modernized otherwise the circular grass thatched hut was on its way to extinction as we embraced the European cubical design made from stone, concrete, cement and glass.

But I suppose the basic need that any habitation – may it be circular, cubical, or pyramid, whether it is made from stone, mud, or paper – is shelter. No matter what your house looks like, you will retire there tonight for shelter. And so will the Bedouin in the desert retreat inside his tent for shelter, just as the caveman who lounged in his cavern eons ago was seeking shelter.

What about religion? The Christian, Moslem, Buddhist and Animist all have different worship systems and yet all of their members are searching for the same thing – spiritual nourishment. Religious tolerance is similar to the man in the cubical stone house respecting his neighbor who still lives in a circular grass thatched house. At the end of the day, both these people want to be protected from the rain, the sun, and dangerous animals that prowl the night, just as worshipers from different religions just want to commune with their exalted Supernatural Beings.

Is Christ the only way to God? Yes! That’s a definite yes if that is the core of your religious belief. Is Allah the only one to be worship and none other? Yes! That’s a definite yes if that is the core of your religious belief. Does Ngai reside at the top of Mount Kirinyaga? Yes! That’s a definite yes if that is the core of your religious belief. How about the others who do not believe in the same Supernatural Being that we do? Think of the dirty destitute man who lives at the corner in his temporary cardboard house or perhaps an Eskimo in an igloo and ask yourself, “Why does he live there instead of a house like mine?” And you might realize that the reasons why people have different religions are similar to the reasons why they have different kinds of habitations.

One of my friends was recently telling me about the tremendous gains that he has witnessed since he joined the crusade for sensitizing people about HIV/AIDS many years ago. One of the greater achievements he mentioned is that of reduced stigma and discrimination on people affected. And as we talked, I remembered how absolutely terrifying HIV and AIDS was in the 1990s. That was the time when the government was involved in a vigorous campaign to publicize the negative effects of the scourge. Everywhere you looked – on posters, billboards and on TV – you would see images of AIDS sufferers – emaciated, sickly, sack of bones, and the clear message in big, bold, blood red letters proclaiming that AIDS killed. In the absence of anti retroviral drugs, being diagnosed as being HIV positive spelled death, and the government campaign made it very clear what kind of death to expect. And so, people were terrified of being diagnosed with HIV and were anxious that no one close to them would be positive.

The message was clear – abstain from sex or use a condom, and be faithful. That was when I was in college and it came at a time red hot passions prevailed over reason. As a result, I had cause to be very worried each time I saw the posters or the TV advertisements. The fear made going for a test unfathomable and every small loss in weight, every skin infection and every cough triggered some panic. I was even afraid to seek treatment since the greatest fear at the time was that I might be tested and found to be HIV positive.

The new millennium brought good tidings and not only did the government change its message to, “HIV/AIDS is not a death sentence”, anti retroviral drugs became readily available, people were now more open about the issues surrounding HIV/AIDS and going for a test was highly recommended. When I eventually gathered the courage to go for a test, it freed me from a terror I cannot quite be able to explain here and I was able to fully appreciate the saying, “The truth sets you free.”

However, it was after the discussion with my friend that something came up that I had never thought of before. I realized that I am still averse to the word “positive”. The reason is because each time I encounter the word “positive” my mind unconsciously associates it with “HIV” – i.e. “HIV positive”. Incidentally, the word “positive” is currently appearing a lot in self development materials, which I am a fan of. This is an important discovery because every book I have read recently talks about being “positive” in this and being “positive” in that. If my mind associates being “positive” with the image of a dying person emaciated to the bones, would I really want to be “positive” regardless of how much sense it makes? This means that I need to re-evaluate the association in my mind of the word “positive” as soon as possible in order to benefit from this incredibly powerful word.

Another useful word that is most probably being injected with negative connotations is “growth”. There has recently been a lot of talk about “growth” when referring to cancer. October was breast cancer month and there was a lot of talk on radio about “growth”. This might not make much sense to every reader but to a person who has encountered the trauma of cancer, he or she might unconsciously cringe inside each time they hear the word being used. Being that these words will continue being used in a negative context once in a while, the only thing that a person can do is to listen with awareness so as to note any negativity that might arise. Hopefully the person can salvage the positive benefits of these useful words. I suppose that it is important for a person to reevaluate their mental dictionary once in a while and find out what various words really mean.