Patience, Humility & Spirituality for Ramadan

Our Muslim friends all over started celebrating Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, this week.

Ramadan, which lasts 29 tot 30 days, is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating and drinking and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, humility and spirituality. Muslims fast for the sake of God/Allah and to offer more prayer than usual. Something many others should also opt to do and renew yourself as an individual.

Muslims believe Ramadan to be a promising/lucky month for the revelations of God to humankind, being the month in which the first verses of the Qur’an were revealed.

In the Qur’an, God proclaims that “fasting has been written down as obligatory upon you, as it was upon those before you.”

As we wish our Muslim family a festive Ramadan, let’s renew and revive ourselves as individual in our own religions about patience, humility and spirituality.

“Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success.” Nelson Mandela (17/12/2009)

Monday 18 July 2011 marks the 93rd birthday celebrations of Nelson Mandela. Most of you know who this noble peace laureate and former statesman is. South Africa’s very own celebrity icon someone that not just South Africans but people all around the globe look up to. Movies have been made about him and in others they mention his name. Even books have been written about him and what he did.

The United Nations in November 2009 declared Madiba’s birthday Nelson Mandela International Day. In response to this Mandela wrote to the United Nations saying “It is my wish that the day be used not to honour an individual, but rather to remember the millions who have contributed to the struggle for freedom throughout the world.” On this day people all around the globe are asked to dedicate 67minutes, the amount of years Madiba dedicate his live to improving the lives of others, to do something good in their communities.  Mandela hails from South Africa and it is thus only right that we set an example.

Watching the final Oprah Winfrey show that took more than two shows, with a range of celebrities and politicians taking part, I couldn’t help but wonder if this is how people honor Oprah then how will, no how can we honor Tata.

This is my conclusion; all around us we see the needs in our communities. Unemployment, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, corruption, violence, etc… Let’s start using our 67minutes every second of every minute during each hour of every day of the month during the year to make a difference by changing these hurdles in society.

Let’s tell our friends:

• Of the dangers of drugs,
• Using protection when having sex and the consequences if you don’t (being HIV, teenage pregnancy and sexual transmitted diseases and infections)
• Educate one to create employment opportunities and or to assist those seeking.
• Be the eyes and ears of the long arm of the law, by going to the police and tell them if you see a crime.
• Not to make yourself guilty on corruption or violence
• Never to judge

Friends let us honor Madiba by living our lives with integrity, dignity and always being on our knees praying for fellow mankind.

Do you love yourself, not to judge?

People sometimes ask you a question you wish to not answer or don’t know how to answer.

The past month two friends during separate occasions asked me: "Do you think God loves gays?" My response was we all love and are proud of what we create. So if we firmly believe God created us as humans why ask if he loves you?

Question should thus be do you love yourself not to judge yourself?

Saying the youth is the present that will inform, educate and motivate the future was the encouragement behind this note…

Do we have a generation that loves themselves for who they are, created in the image of God? Boys and girls who, look past their race, sexual orientation and social challenges to be proud on who they are.

Back to the question my friends asked me, they responded to my answer with, "but the bible says it’s a sin to be gay". It makes me wonder how we, who do read the bible, read it. Do we read it and take it as is or do we read and interpret it through the Holy Spirit?

Those against argue with quotes from the bible like Genesis 1:27, 28, Genesis 2:18-25, Genesis 19:1-29, Leviticus 18:22 and 20:23, Romans1:18-32, 1Corinthians 6:9 and 1Tomothy 1:10 - now some of these scriptures don't even mention homosexuality and others speak of homosexual acts.

As a fellow human being I respect the arguments from my neighbour on the topic and to debate is good. To debate however does not allow me to be God and judge others. Those who watched the movie Evan Almighty should have learned this. In the movie God goes on holiday and picks a normal human being to be God, Evan soon realizes being God is not easy. Yet there are so many who want to be God.

 “Let us be gentle with each other, as with ourselves. We do not have all the answers to all the questions surrounding right or wrong expressions of Gods gift of our sexuality,” according to Archbishop Desmond Tutu in The Bible and Homosexuality.

My favourite bible scripture is 1Corinthians 13 and verse 7 and 8 (a) reads “Love never gives up, and its faith, hope and patience never fail. Love is eternal.”

All around us there’s drug abuse, gangsters, teenage pregnancy, adultery, violence, etc… and while we don’t speak out on this we quick to judge someone based on their race or sexual orientation.

The debate should be concluded with the words from Prof. Allan Boesak in his report to the General Synod of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa in 2008

“For the church, homosexual persons are not the objects of discussion or study, whose lives are to be pronounced on and regulated by church bodies. They are human beings, children of God, created in Gods image, persons in need and in search of love and understanding and fulfillment.” He continues with “Today we recognize that sexual orientation is not something a human being learns it is inborn.”

To add to this if we were to create ourselves there’s probably a lot we would change, some of my gay buddies would most probably have decided not to be gay, but reality check God created us, each with our own unique talent and in his eyes you perfect.

Quite frankly I’m more concerned about the pregnant teenage girls in church, youngsters who don’t attend church and those using drugs we don’t want to talk about than the boys that are more feminine than the church sisters.

Common future of the Confuse Generation

Thursday 16 June South Africa commemorates the 35th year since the Soweto student uprising.  The day is about more than the death of Hector Petersen and many other. Hundreds of young people stood up for what they believed was right, tragically leading to the death of many.

Most of the young people under 25, that I atleast know, show either little or no interest in this historic day. This happens with reason as most would say why dwell in the past if we have a future to work towards, why talk and talk about what happened and not what could be done?

Politicians will be delivering speeches to celebrate the youth’s role in our democracy, where young people stood up for what was wrong in the 1970’s, and while their words might differ – their messages comes down to the same thing – the youth of 2011 also face challenges.

Our unemployment rate amongst the youth is not what it should be, gangsters rule neighbourhoods being a source of comfort for so many. Drugs are used like I would eat sweets, if you don’t have a child before you are 21 then you not really that cool.

Despite these challenges our youth is good in technology, I’m probably wrong with my statement but I reckon there’s more young people on Mxit, Facebook, Blackberry messenger, Twitter, The grid, eBuddy, Nimbuzz and other social networks, than there’s members of church youth groups.  

While some refer to the youth as the lost or new generation, I think it’s the confuse generation. We confuse because:

• Some say there are no opportunities while there’s so many we just can’t decide what to go for.
• We think following friends is cool, and not thinking as an individual
• We think what we see, hear and our parents go through should also happen to me
• We sometimes don’t want to come out our comfort zones

The Nobel peace laureate, former President Nelson Mandela during the Young Christian World Council in 1995 said “young people are reaching out to other to build a common future. This demands emotional maturity and moral strength.”

You can’t blame the so called lost generation for not caring about historic moments. The past is important and while we should learn from the past we need to work on the present to move towards the future.

I thus agree with Tata Madiba – young people in their own unique way try and reach out to build a common future, sometimes society just tend to

• Not see this
• Criticize the youth
• Reject the youth
• Judge young people

The common future Tata talks about is not just a common future amongst the youth but also all spheres of society.

At a church youth day event in Zuurbekom 1997, Mandela told young people “become pioneers of reconstruction and development, by your example you will be helping ensure that South Africa indeed becomes the country of our dreams.”

Building this common future would thus seek the moral strength and emotional maturity of all recognizing, informing, educating, motivating, encouraging and accepting the youth.

I’m coloured and blessed like you

I hear people say I was first too black and now I’m to white, some call me hotnot, others a confuse race, so I’m coloured and proud of it… God created me, just like you.

I read in Genesis 1:27 “God created human beings, making them to be like him. He created them male and female, blessed them.” Now if you say you believe God created us, you also believe he created you to his image, and he blessed you – I should thus be proud of who I am.

Have you ever asked yourself – If I weren’t me, who would I have been?

Growing up might not have been easy, but nor is life and its challenges. Dead, Accidents, Challenges, Sexual orientations, HIV & Aids, Cancer, Love it don’t ask what race you are, it happens.

So what if people call me boesman, its part of my heritage. If it wasn’t part of his plan he wouldn’t have created me the way I am. I’m created “in Jesus Christ to do good works, which God prepared in advance for me to do.” (Ephesians2:10)

We sometimes go through life, like walking in a dark room with uncertainty, but as soon as the light goes on you feel secure.  Why be ashamed of who I am, when I’m created in his image and blessed? We live in a world where almost everything has a label, why can’t I?

At times we don’t know what is right from wrong, if only I turned to the book of life and read Isaiah 48:17 (b) “I am the Lord your God, the one who wants to teach you for your own good and direct you in the way you should go.”

Just like death and love, the race card will always happen at any given time. The key lies in being proud of who you are and embracing the true spirit of ubunti – looking past our differences, living the South African motto, ǃke e: ǀxarra ǁke (Unity in Diversity) or as Vicky Sampson sings One Tribe… “We were meant to be as one, one heart, one soul, one tribe under heaven, we are one.

Having Faith and to Believe

2010 saw South Africa’s successful hosting of the Soccer World Cup, this despite many critics and media reports that the soccer spectacular might even be handed to another country. A few people had faith and on numerous occasions the President of the Republic of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, world soccer governing body FIFA President and General Secretary, Sepp Blatter and Jerome Valcke, respectively and Chief Executive of the South African 2010 Local Organising Committee, Danny Jordaan repeatedly full of confidence said South Africa will host a successful World Cup.

After a lot of thinking, reading and sleeping it hit me, exactly three months after the soccer show piece ended, they did something, most of us didn’t even think of, they asked to make the World Cup a success, they prayed for hosting a successful show piece and they believed in leaving an ever lasting legacy.

Of all the things that happened during 2010 it’s the lessons it came to taught us we shouldn’t forget, Trust in God.

Questions keeping popping up in my head, how many of us, the citizens of this country believed? How many said it’s not my duty? And even though some might have, possibly the majority did not believe, some did and therefore 2010 will be remembered as the year South Africa as an African nation hosted a successful world cup.

The tournament taught us also that sport can unite, despite our differences, political affiliations, religious denominations, sexual orientations, we can be one.

Whatever we do from this point onward we should always take 2010’s lessons with us, because God promises us, what you ask in my name and you believe in it so shall it be.