All posts tagged: africa

Nelson Mandela

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Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people… Nelson Mandela Today the world lay to rest a great man, my hero – Nelson Mandela. There are many reasons why I greatly admire Mandela, but I would like to share just one with you today as I remember this fearless and selfless fighter for justice, human rights and democracy. On June 11, 1964, Nelson Mandela was found guilty of four charges of sabotage and was sentenced to life imprisonment. In a statement given in his own defense at the start of the trial in Pretoria on April 20, 1964, Mr. Mandela said these words: During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to see realized. But, my lord, if needs be …

How to learn from your mistakes when PlayingPumps don’t work

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I came across a very interesting story a few days ago that I would like to share with you today. Tom Murphy is the man behind the story and it reminded me of how too often, we come up with very good ideas that seem innovative and fun, but at the end of the day, these ideas do not really deliver the results we really were looking for. How do you learn, and recover from mistakes you’ve made and take your business, projects and dreams into right direction that will produce desired results? That’s what this story is about. Here is how it goes: A few people got together and came up with the idea of a merry-go-round that will connect with a water pump. Since kids love playing on merry- go-rounds their playful, fun loving activities would be the power source by which water is pumped to the town’s reservoir making water available for the entire community. This innovative technologically savvy project was supported and praised by Laura Bush and AOL co-founder Steve Case and …

The Danger of a Single Story

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I recently listened to a TED Talk that left a very good impression on me. You know, one of those things you’ve always felt and wanted to say but you could not find the exact word to communicate it until somebody else voices out the exact thing you’ve thought or writes so eloquently the contents of your thoughts and imagination. That is exactly what Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie did for me in this brilliant talk she entitled – “The danger of a single story.” She said, Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. If we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding. What did she mean by that and how important is her story? I think you will find her story very compelling. If you would like to watch her speak on the subject you can watch it here. If not you can read the transcript of her talk provided below – you won’t regret it. ______________________________________ I’m a storyteller. And I would like to …

FIGHTING Demons with a Machete

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It should also be of interest to you that most of the new church – the independent churches that have sprang up and are springing all over the continent of African are lead by men and wormen that left local churches from every major denomination in Africa (from the Assemblies of God, Baptist, Catholic, Methodist ect…). And usually these young men and women left because of a lack of leadership – one that inspires, impacts and deploys, lack of opportunities to use their gifts, because those in charge felt threatened, a lack of gospel power and Holy Spirit’s fire, and a lack of vision to do church differently – take risks – do new things – do some out of the box ministries. tap into the energy of the young.

Let nothing cause your spirit to waver and your soul to sink

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Those of you who know me well know that am a big fan of David Livingstone. In fact, he is an inspiration to me, a hero if you will. One of the things I admire the most about him is the sacrifice he made in spending so much of his life in Africa. The amazing thing about this is David himself doesn’t even regard it as anything extraordinary. Here is his perspective on the subject: If you knew the satisfaction of performing a duty as well as the gratitude to God which the missionary must always feel in being chosen for a noble and sacred calling you will have no hesitation in embracing it. For my part, I have never ceased to rejoice that God has appointed me to such an office. People talk about that sacrifice I have made in spending much of my life in Africa. Anxiety, sickness, suffering or danger from now and then, with a foregoing of common conveniences and charities of this life may make us pause and cause the …

Liberia: Getting Back to the Founding Faith | Christianity Today

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A controversial clergy-led campaign to officially return Liberia to its Christian heritage has sparked debate in the West African nation. Liberia was founded under the “blessings of the Christian religion” by freed American slaves in 1847, but became a secular state following a 1980 military coup and subsequent civil war. In April, an international tribunal convicted former president Charles Taylor, once supported by Pat Robertson, of crimes against humanity. Today a group of pastors called the Liberia Restoration to Christian Heritage Committee has stirred up popular momentum to add Christianity back to the constitution—similar to Zambia, a “Christian nation” since 1996. The Liberian Council of Churches has remained tight-lipped about its opinion, but vice president W. Nah Dixon, archbishop of Don Stewart Pentecostal Church, has appealed to pastors to stop collecting signatures. He worries that imposing a state religion could refuel civil conflict in a nation with a sizable Muslim minority (12 percent). Catholic, Baptist, and Lutheran leaders have echoed his concerns Liberia: Getting Back to the Founding Faith | Christianity Today.

Beware of Nigerian Religious Junk

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Check out this interview with Pastor Conrad Mbewe as he answers questions from Don Carson about his post(Beware of Nigerian Religious Junk) on the spiritual state of the church in africa. Over the next few days I would like for us to examine the post and see how it can help change the present climate of confusion over the african continent. To read the post in it entirety… you can find it on pastor Conrad’s Blog Related articles How the prosperity gospel invaded and infected the African church (pjcockrell.wordpress.com)