Cock And Bull

• A Simple Solution To Consider

  Posted: March 8, 2008, 7:46 am by Administrator

  Have you ever read or heard about the encounter between Naaman the Syrian army commander with a prophet of God whose name was Elisha? The story is told in 2 Kings Chapter 5. Naaman was a great soldier who had led the Syrian forces to great victory and was the highest ranking officer in the forces. Unfortunately, Naaman suffered from a dreaded skin disease.

  One day, Naaman heard that he could be cured of his disease if he went to Israel to see Elisha the prophet who was highly acclaimed for his astounding miracles.

  So Naaman went with his horse and chariot and stopped at the entrance to Elisha’s house. And when Elisha leant that Naaman had arrived, he sent a servant out to tell him to go and wash himself seven times in the Jordan River, and he would be completely cured of his disease. But Naaman left in a rage, saying, “I thought that he would at least come out to me, pray to the LORD his God, wave his hand over the diseased spot, and cure me! Besides, aren’t the rivers in Abana and Pharpar, back in Damascus, better than any river in Israel? I could have washed in them and been cured!” Obviously Naaman considered his own greatness and thought that the prophet was disrespectful for dismissing him so casually.

  

  However, his servant went to him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it. Now why can’t you just wash yourself, as he said, and be cured?” So Naaman went down to the Jordan, dipped himself in it seven times, as Elisha had instructed, and he was completely cured. His flesh became firm and healthy like that of a child.

  The story of Naaman in the Bible reminds me of the often talked about redemption from sins through accepting Jesus Christ as savior. Jesus Christ said that this is the instantaneous solution for anyone whose heart is suffering in bondage. And yet many people whose hearts are hurting greatly today will not accept this simple solution. Whenever told about it, a person will dismiss it without trying it or giving it much thought. And yet the same person would be willing to do something more difficult – say visit a therapist for years or spend an incredible amount of money – rather than take this free cure. Ironically (and annoyingly) after everything else has failed, the followers of Jesus Christ will still insist on the same simple and free solution of salvation through accepting the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse all the sins and give a new beginning.

  Are you willing to consider this solution today?

• Choice at the Lodging House

  Posted: March 8, 2008, 2:42 am by Administrator

  If you ever find yourself needing to spend the night in any town in Kenya on a low budget, you might end up in what we Kenyans simply refer to as a ‘Lodging’. The ‘Lodging’ is usually a building that has several sleeping rooms for travelers and any other person who might choose to spend a night away from his or her own bed. All the ‘Lodgings’ are similar and if you spend a night in one in a particular town, be assured that you might as well have sampled the ‘Lodgings’ in all the other towns in the country.

  Once you pay for your room – usually just a few hundred shillings – you will be given a key attached to an oversized wooden or plastic key holder with a number written on it. The clerk will then direct you to the room whose number is the same as the one on the key holder. On unlocking the room and entering, switching on the single naked bulb on the ceiling will reveal a small room with a smell you might never have encountered before. There will be a bed at one corner and on the other corner, a small reading table with drawers and a rickety chair pushed under it. There will most probably be an ashtray with numerous burn marks on it, mounted on a huge base with the initials of the ‘Lodging’ printed on it. The bed will have freshly laundered linen and a dirty mosquito net tied on a knot, dangling from the ceiling. In the adjacent toilet cum bathroom you will find a clean towel whose snow-white days are long gone and a tiny bar of soap that is just enough to wash your whole body once. There will also be a new roll of white tissue paper next to the toilet closet. The bed linen and the towel will have the name of the ‘Lodging’ printed on them in large conspicuous letters.

  Under the bed, you will find a pair of mismatched rubber flip flops (bathroom slippers) – each with a different color. You might also be surprised to find that a tiny wedge has been nipped off at the heel of the flip flops. This extraordinary flip flops will discourage anyone who might be tempted to steal them, just as printing the name of the lodging house on the linen and mounting an extra base of an ashtray will do.

  Next to the bed, you will see a small bedside table. On this table it is guaranteed that you will find two items; a well sized Bible and a packet of condoms. Perhaps the person who set the ‘Lodging’ standards in Kenya assumed that anyone who spends a night at the ‘Lodging’ without having sex must be a particularly holy person. Whatever the case, as in most places in life, these two items in the ‘Lodging’ will remind you about the choices that you have to make while going through life.

Blah blah blah

Fish cakes

Alas a fish cake.

Yet more fish cakes

Guess what ... yeah ... fish cakes.

The end of the fish cakes