Mid-month news December 2023
Mid-month news December 2023 jimoharries@gmail.com +254721804282
Dear Friends,
Latest Book!
See here https://wipfandstock.com/9781666764277/paul-planted-apollos-watered-but-god/ for your copy of Jim’s latest (I am one of the editors) book. Title: Paul Planted, Apollos Watered, but GOD.
‘Across the Fault Lines’
One these days hears rumbles of global-wide divides, like the G7 versus BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). I don’t know which way all this is heading … But I do have to realise that my being in Africa in various ways aligns me with BRICS rather than ‘the West’. A BRICS member, Russia, has banned LGBTQ+ activities as ‘extremist’, we are hearing. “The move is the most drastic step in the decade-long crackdown on LGBTQ rights in Russia unleashed under President Vladimir Putin, who has put ‘traditional family values’ at the cornerstone of his rule” the media reports.[1] Why am I writing about this here? This is an appeal to believers in the West to broaden their view and not ‘write-off’ people just because they do not follow ‘new’ value systems now promoted by Western governments. Christians must be more careful than ever, to follow the Bible, and not political fad. (See here for Uganda being forced to accept the legitimacy of gay relationships.)
Cat Soup?
Our domestic cat struggled as it tried to get out of the window recently. It ended up falling backwards into a pot of boiling nyoyo (favourite Luo dish, made of maize and beans). Fortunately its legs only sunk in a few inches, and it propelled itself up to the window. Had the pot been full of boiling water, we would have had self-cooked cat! (I later learned, that a ‘guest cat’ that looked like our own cat, was frequenting my house. After this incident, the guest cat was not seen again.)
Friends Leaving
My experience in ministry in Africa has included an endless succession of ‘goodbyes’ to other missionaries. I meet new missionaries, often full of enthusiasm and looking forward to the challenge of ministry. As they go along, they meet difficulties they hadn’t anticipated. The difficult challenges are the ones that question the value of what they can contribute. Various reasons are given for leaving. It is usually considered impolite to publicly say ‘we are leaving because mission is so difficult to do’! So sometimes family reasons, and such like, are given, when the real reasons are deeper. I often wish that missionaries would be more honest, so that new people who follow them can be better oriented to avoiding pitfalls.
Lives Ruined
The funeral of a drunkard, attracts drunkards, I have often found. This recent funeral was no exception. A large crowd of inebriated young men swelled regular funeral attendance. Many were angry, most were drunk, they were not afraid to heckle, and were distraught about the loss of their colleague. One explained: ‘There are many killings amongst our group. Here is an example of how it happens: I steal a phone. I give it to a colleague to look after for me. He sells it. When I want the money, he doesn’t have it any more. We fight.’
[1] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/30/russian-court-bans-lgbtq-movement-as-extremist