I've been a little bit lost, mostly because I have been TOO found on Facebook and Twitter, especially over Election Week last week. (Thank you God for peace!)
Anyway, now that I'm here I wanted to share with you guys a couple of things God's taught me lately. I like to do this to share stuff that I've learnt that someone else might be going through and offer the same encouragement over the airwaves (is internet airwaves? haidhuru...) that I've received countless times.
Yesterday, 2 things happened, I was sitting next to a guy on the bus home and he struck up a conversation with me normally, I don't talk to people on the bus, but I'd just been reading a couple of Bethel stories like how students would go out in the streets and share Jesus with people, so I figured what the heck... he asked me if I have any talents, I said yes, singing and we got into all this stuff about where I sing and I told him I'm on worship team, so he asks me about Church, why I go and so on, and I told him. I tried to put into a 4 minute conversation why I live my life the way I do. At the end of it, invited him to come to church and that was that. Later on that night, I was trying to explain to someone on Facebook how we should quit looking at our neighbors through tribal eyes - he'd said some pretty tribalistic stuff about how people from my community were inferior to his and I was mad as hell, and that's how I know the words I spoke didn't come from me, they came from God, cause me, I would have cussed him out and told him a few choice words that might have rivaled Chris Brown and Drake feuds on Twitter. I was so frustrated that he didn't seem to get it, or at least I don't think he did because he didn't reply to my post. I tried to tell him, that change starts with us, me not labeling him with some stereotype and him doing the same.
I have to admit, that stuff that he said about me/people from my community hurt. Assuming that I'm a thief or that I'm selfish or violent because someone youknow heard of who happens to be from my region is. IT'S RIDICULOUS! I was so discouraged by that and I wrote to my Pastor, because that's just what I do, when I don't have it figured out, I vent and I ask questions! Anyway:
So instead of staying discouraged by this guy's generalization of me and my family, I talked to my current sphere of influence:
Pastor M's reply just reinforced what I felt God telling me all night, which was:
I've said before I'm set on relevance of some form in my lifetime. I want my voice to count for something, maybe it's from me being the last born and struggling to make my opinions heard, whatever it is, I'm set on relevance of some form. I don't say it as a selfish/self-centered prayer, I just feel like that's one of the reasons God made me the way He did. With this desire, it's difficult still being in the preparation stage where quite frankly, nobody cares who I am or what I have to say, the day is coming and I'm quite happy to be here for now but in the meantime, I'm going to use whatever avenues I have to spread the fact that nothing else in this life compares to the fact that
1. God is in a good mood!
2. God is actively pursuing us to love us and to bless us. He doesn't relent no matter what we do, no matter how many skeletons we have stuffed in our closet. He wants us to be closer than friends and more intimate than lovers.
That's the message that "I've come to such a place as this" in my life to share.
When our lives flow out of our genuine love for God and an understanding of what that means. When we stop faking religion and start embracing relationship. The moment that we're able to encounter the goodness of all God is personally and share that corporately, that's when real change will happen. That's when no study will be needed to show that Kenya is 80% Christian, instead the world will know by the reflection of His glory shining bright in the face of the country. That's when our church-mates will shut every evil tribalistic tongue in their networks instead of helping propagate their lies by sharing their updates and liking their comments. Right now it may just be one voice crying out in the wilderness, but luckily, that's all God needs.
BE THAT ONE!
xx
Jo
Anyway, now that I'm here I wanted to share with you guys a couple of things God's taught me lately. I like to do this to share stuff that I've learnt that someone else might be going through and offer the same encouragement over the airwaves (is internet airwaves? haidhuru...) that I've received countless times.
Yesterday, 2 things happened, I was sitting next to a guy on the bus home and he struck up a conversation with me normally, I don't talk to people on the bus, but I'd just been reading a couple of Bethel stories like how students would go out in the streets and share Jesus with people, so I figured what the heck... he asked me if I have any talents, I said yes, singing and we got into all this stuff about where I sing and I told him I'm on worship team, so he asks me about Church, why I go and so on, and I told him. I tried to put into a 4 minute conversation why I live my life the way I do. At the end of it, invited him to come to church and that was that. Later on that night, I was trying to explain to someone on Facebook how we should quit looking at our neighbors through tribal eyes - he'd said some pretty tribalistic stuff about how people from my community were inferior to his and I was mad as hell, and that's how I know the words I spoke didn't come from me, they came from God, cause me, I would have cussed him out and told him a few choice words that might have rivaled Chris Brown and Drake feuds on Twitter. I was so frustrated that he didn't seem to get it, or at least I don't think he did because he didn't reply to my post. I tried to tell him, that change starts with us, me not labeling him with some stereotype and him doing the same.
I have to admit, that stuff that he said about me/people from my community hurt. Assuming that I'm a thief or that I'm selfish or violent because someone you
Pastor M's reply just reinforced what I felt God telling me all night, which was:
don't know if my words have any impact but thank you God for I have a voice
— Joanne Furaha (@Joannefuraha) March 11, 2013
I've said before I'm set on relevance of some form in my lifetime. I want my voice to count for something, maybe it's from me being the last born and struggling to make my opinions heard, whatever it is, I'm set on relevance of some form. I don't say it as a selfish/self-centered prayer, I just feel like that's one of the reasons God made me the way He did. With this desire, it's difficult still being in the preparation stage where quite frankly, nobody cares who I am or what I have to say, the day is coming and I'm quite happy to be here for now but in the meantime, I'm going to use whatever avenues I have to spread the fact that nothing else in this life compares to the fact that
1. God is in a good mood!
2. God is actively pursuing us to love us and to bless us. He doesn't relent no matter what we do, no matter how many skeletons we have stuffed in our closet. He wants us to be closer than friends and more intimate than lovers.
That's the message that "I've come to such a place as this" in my life to share.
When our lives flow out of our genuine love for God and an understanding of what that means. When we stop faking religion and start embracing relationship. The moment that we're able to encounter the goodness of all God is personally and share that corporately, that's when real change will happen. That's when no study will be needed to show that Kenya is 80% Christian, instead the world will know by the reflection of His glory shining bright in the face of the country. That's when our church-mates will shut every evil tribalistic tongue in their networks instead of helping propagate their lies by sharing their updates and liking their comments. Right now it may just be one voice crying out in the wilderness, but luckily, that's all God needs.
BE THAT ONE!
xx
Jo
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