When Do We Become Human?

When Do We Become A Human Being?

That question came to my mind last night while watching TV. One of our Government Ministers spoke at length about the abortion issue. She believed that abortion should be made available to any woman or girl in order to lessen the deaths from botched abortions. 

I was appalled. My mind started churning thoughts a mile a minute. I thought about all the teenage girls that are, or that will be pregnant within the year. If abortions are made legal, a child as young as 11 or 12 years old may be able to terminate a pregnancy without parental knowledge and/or consent. Yet it is illegal for someone to give that same child a headache table without her parents' consent. 

Do you know what gets me really angry? I see advertisements about animals being abused by people. Animal activists beg people to save these animals, even urging us to adopt the abused animals as pets. But these same animal activists who so care about nature and preserving animal life in planet earth, will they be as vociferous about a unborn child's right to life, I wonder? 

There is a school of thought that believes that an unborn child is just a "piece of flesh!" 

But that is not what the Creator of the universe thinks. In His love letter to us, called the Bible, He tells us that He knew us while we were still in our mother's womb, and that His eyes saw us while we were being formed in that dark, enclosed environment. That even before we were "a twinkle in our parents' eyes" all the days of our lives were written in His book. If God believes that someone is a person even before birth, why should we believe contrary to what God thinks? 

When do we become a human being?

"You made my whole being; you formed me in my mother's body...You saw my body being formed as I took shape in my mother's body. When I was put together there you saw my body as it was formed. All the days planned for me were written in your book before I was one day old." Psalm 139: 13, 15 - 16 (New Century Version)

Do You Want To Look Beautiful? God wants you to be beautiful, too!

There is a show called TLC's What Not To Wear! This show is hosted by two fashion consultants, Stacey London and Clinton Kelly. The show is what it is named, these two people try to coach people on what not to wear for their body type (which is usually what they're wearing then), and they are given clothes that suit their body. 

The premise of this show is: you are nominated, you accept a $5000 card that entitles you to a new wardrobe and you get a new hairstyle and makeup. But the nominee has to let Stacey and Clinton throw away what is throwawayable, and the person has to show by Stacey and Clinton's  rules! Sounds fair? Most contestants go for it!
Usuaally, the makeovers are both tastefully done and appropriate. Both Stacey and Clinton do not subscribe to skimpy, let-it-all-hang-out fashion, but as they say, you can look attractive without looking trashy.

While the women (and the few men) on the show were nominated by either family or friends or even bosses, their is one truly 'reality program' that can make you truly beautiful and can save your life. You don't need another human being to 'nominate' you, like in What Not To Wear! And not everyone in the world can be nominated in WNTW! You have to be an American citizen to be on the show, and while the show is on TV, only a certain amount of people will ever get onto this show! 

But the 'program' that I'm talking about is for 'whosoever wills!' There is no limit in terms of country, age, sex, ethnicity, nothing! And in the end, you will become beautiful, but this beauty is the everlasting kind!

What is this program? It is called "The Salvation Train!" You see, when you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, the blood that was shed (spilled) on the ground cleanses away the ugliness and degrading effects of sin on your life and makes us whole, clean and pure again. He gives us beautiful instead of ashes. By the beating that He received, we are healed. His sacrificial death on the cross at Calvary can put us back together again and make us beautiful.

The bible says that charm is deceitful and beautiful is vain. But salvation beautifies the humble one who, knowing that he is a vile, ugly sinner, accepts Jesus Christ as Savior and are made new again.

"He (God) will beautify the meek with salvation!" Psalm 149:4 (KJV)

Cramming For An Exam

Here I sit at the table in my living room, head down and my cellphone light on. I'm trying to read my text book for my exam next month. No, its not night, its 5'o clock in the evening!

 I have less than three weeks to do this. I cannot overdo. I am overtired already. And I cannot afford to overwork the little bit of eyesight I have left.

There is almost a year's space between my writing this exam, failing it and now. Why am I now scrambling to study, to CRAM for this exam now?

LAZINESS? PROCRASTINATION? FEAR? Maybe all of the above or none of the above. I was so busy in that time that I didn't realize that the time had passed. Until I realized that if I wanted to take another course and get the Govt. payment arrangement I had to both sit -and pass, the exam. 

I  wrote sometime ago about the fact that many students are 'slacking off'' from studying for their exams because they think they had another chance to do it. I found that I, too thought the same thing.  This is my last chance and it is imperative that I pass this exam.

As with all other endeavors, we must give ourselves adequate time to learn new skills and to study/practice for exams/evaluations. We must give our very best to what we do, so that we can 'make God look good' when we use the gift/talent/knowledge/expertise that we have. I hope that I do this when   (God willing) I sit - AND PASS- my exams! Please pray for me!!

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus" Colossians 3:17  (KJV)

Literacy in Schools - Then and Now

In the 1980s I worked at one of the secondary schools in my country. Even though I wasn't a teacher, I was friends with quite a few of them. Sometimes they would show me the papers of some of their students. In a school that catered to students aged 14 years to 18years, I was appalled at the fact that a lot of these students could neither spell nor write  sentences correctly.

That was about 25 to 30 years ago. The children that I help with now are the most likely the children or grandchildren of that generation of students. So lets look at this situation: if in the 1980s and 1990s the children could not read or write properly, and most times did not even seem to care, how then could they help their children with their schoolwork?

Someone told me recently that a parent of one of the students at the Homework center was angry because, apparently, their child's homework was not being done. He seemed to think that his child's homework was the sole responsibility of the facilitators. He surely didn't have no imput in this, of course not!

A lot of parents want to foist their responsibilities for nurturing and teaching their offspring on the teacher, thinking that they don't have anything to do. Some genuinely may not have the time always to do so, but however little or much, time must be made for these two very important duties.   Remember,  God gave children as a gift and a responsibility. We are then only stewards of these gifts. When Jesus Christ comes again, will He find us faithful?

"Train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)

Tiredness

I sit here trying hard to write this blog. But I'm half asleep. 

For the past three days I've been 'on the go.' My aunt hit her knee quite badly again the outside wall last Tuesday, and I am now the person who has to do a lot of what she does. I don't mind at all.

But the tiredness gets in the way of doing what I need to do.  I have two exams coming up:one on Friday  coming and the other on June 11th. My anxiety mounts because both exams are connected. The first one is just more of a placement test in terms of what level of class you go in to (probably) but the other is very important. Fail that and I will not be able to receive Government funding to do the course. Plus, I would not be able to get the certificate. 

Solution: Sleep and Studying.

You can get tiredness in your Christian life. Maybe the circumstances are dire, and you have done all you can, but nothing changes. You've been praying all the time but God doesn't seem to answer your prayers at all. You may be exhausted, depressed and oppressed due to sleepless nights full of worry. The solution is the same: good night sleep (a rested person can hear from God better and more clearly). Also studying God's word to get answers to one's situation will get rid of the tiredness of body, mind and spirit.

"I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only maketh  me dwell in safety."       Psalm 4: 8

Who control of your life? Is it you, or....:

I've been watching a lot of webinars lately. Webinars on how to sell books to other places besides bookstores, how to increase your profit, how to have professional book format, and s o on. It was very bewildering.
But one of the webinars I attended was given by a Christian organization that teaches people creative writing. The others gave great ideas and tools that I can use. But it was this seminar that reminded me that writing is a calling from God, not just a career.
Last Thursday (May 9) over 160,000 children sat an exam that would tell them which secondary school they would go to for the next 5 to  7 years. Most were scared, for it is supposed to decide what direction their lives would take.
We tend at times to think that we control our lives.  It seems up to us alone to decide and forge our future. But it is times when we have done all and still don't know what the future holds that we then understand that indeed, we are not in control.
 I then need to run to my Heavenly Father to give me power and direction for my life. I allow Him to take over my life and run it.  He

Is Bullying A School Problem Alone?

"What is this that I'm hearing?" was my angry question to my aunt as I heard a popular TV show host report about the rape of a 14-old mute girl this evening. Just a few months ago, that same TV host reported the rape of a teenage mentally challenged girl.
I wondered aloud if these beasts have a mother, sister, wife, girlfriend or even a female dog. I thought that apparently they were test-tube babies because they had no pity for these poor young ladies.
I told one of my friends that many men considered woman as KFC chicken. As a matter of fact, it was not so long ago that when adults heard teenagers talking about "leg and thigh" they did not know that their children weren't talking about KFC chicken but about sex.
I said before that my country is among the top countries that watch porn online. This, combined with the     crap that is being shown on cable TV and even local stations these days, its no wonder that many men and boys look upon women and girls as just meat, sexual objects to slake their sexual desire. If they think that a woman is not sexually active or a virgin, better yet.
TV shows and the internet also offer online shows and video games that also engender violence and drug use seemingly without legal reprisals. The death penalty is non-existent here , so people think that they can do ANYTHING and get away with it.
 Is bullying a school problem alone? I say no. It is a societal problem. The children are just following what adults do and say.

"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." Proverb 14:34

Homework Woes

When I was small,. homework was a very big deal. My two cousins, and my brother and I came home every evening, ate some food, watched the daily installment of Sesame Street, then hit the books. 

My great aunt, Nen, and my aunt (my mom's sister) were the 'checkers' who went over our work diligently to make sure that we did it correctly. We children couldn't say to our guardians, "I don't want to do any homework," or "we don't have any homework." They weren't at all afraid of going into our book bags without our permission to check our schoolbooks. And woe betide if we lied! Charlie the old brown leather belt and Auntie's hand would drive such foolishness out of us!

Nen was the "stay-at-home" person in our house, my two aunts worked. But we children were blessed to have people at home who had the time for and the interest in our homework and our lives as a whole. In today's modern families, parents have to work to support their children, and may not have the time, energy and sometimes even the interest in their children's lives. They put their children in extra curricula activities, homework centers and tutors, and expect these people to do the things that they should do. 

I pray that God would give these parents and guardians all that they need to be a blessing to the people.

"'Children (the fruit of the womb) is his (a man's) rewards." Psalm 127: 3b (KJV)

I am the LORD that healeth thee

I'm back! Sorry that I was out of the game for so long! I wasn't well, but now, thank God, I'm back with you all again.
Sickness can come on you so suddenly, that it can frighten you. One day you're doing your stuff, feeling   good, and then, BAM!! You wake up one morning with your heart racing and the dreadful feeling of going unconscious! Then for a few days, you're not yourself at all. At those times it is apparent that you are not in control at all. In those instances, the need for help outside of yourself is real!
For me, those are the times when I have no choice but to draw really close to God for help. With a feeling of such extreme fatigue that you just want to hug the ground, its only Heavenly Father that can literally, "raise you up!"
Those times I know beyond the shadow of a doubt who I need to go to for healing.
And believe me, I lose no time in going to the Lord God for help!

"By His stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5