Culture is a part of society and exists in all spheres of life; fashion, education, religion and faith, business.
Each year at BAY C, there is a night dedicated to celebrating the cultural heritage of Uganda and Africa at large. Culture reminds us of our heritage something that God has given us and we are identified by.
Each group gets to act out a play all based on the theme for the conference and this year, the theme is the standard. Participants get creative and innovative as the skits, poems and cultural songs all center around the theme. Gifts and talents are nurtured on this night as script writers take to writing the play and then poets take on poetry sessions and get people to do magnificent spoken word in luganda, acholi, langi,runyankole,etc.
The night is crowned with a fashion show that majorly showcases traditional wear from all cultures across…
Bugolobi Annual Youth Conference ( BAY C) is a conference that brings together youths and youth ministry leaders from Parishes and Churches in different Dioceses in the Church of Uganda and other Provinces. Previous BAYCs have hosted participants from as many as 10 Anglican Communion Provinces. The broad objective of the Conference is to “Impact, Equip and Commission Young People as Agents of Change in Communities.”
There is an emerging global youth culture which is bringing the Youths to think alike regardless of where they are located in the world. We have found BAY C a great time and opportunity for youths to gather together and learn from each other’s experiences, explore and be equipped in ways of influencing this global youth culture for God’s Kingdom, well-being of society and good of humanity as well as building cross-cultural friendships.
The 15th Bugolobi Annual Youth Conference (BAY C 2016) is…
Jungle book has fascinated me as I shared in my previous blog post Peace rock on the God facets embedded therein.
This week i am sharing the God facet two on identity. Knowing who you are answers an important question of `who am i? which when answered gives the reason for why we exist.
Mowgli was raised by the wolves and knew he was a wolf (can you believe that??); he was clearly a man cub however his identity sprung from wolves. He recited the wolf creed like they did and he believed in it. What have you believed about who you are that is a veil to who you truly are?
Now this is the Law of the Jungle — as old and as true as the sky; And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the Wolf that shall break it must die.
As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk the Law runneth forward and back — For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.
When Shere Khan wages way on the wolves (after he kills Akelah), Mowgli comes back to revenge though he had run away in an act of salvation. He sought to save the wolves from Shere Khan.
The war lines are drawn and all animals stand behind Mowgli and recite the wolf creed and Shere Khan is furious that they have stood with the man cub who will later kill them.
Cartoons are one of the things I like watching because they are hilarious and they bring out my childish self. So I enjoy them with my 4 year old nephew -Joze over the weekends. This weekend we watched a classic-Jungle Book.
I am certain a multitude of us have watched this amazing story and as children ; it was simply fascinating how this young boy communed with animals let alone be raised by the fierce animals of the jungle.
On watching it this time around, “my mind was alert and my heart was receptive ”, I couldn`t help but notice the bible facets embedded in the story line (not sure if the script writers know this or intended it so) Let me indulge you in facet 1-Peace rock.
During the dry season, all the animals in the jungle gather at the Peace Rock to drink the water that remains, as part of the Water Truce, abiding by the “Law of the Land” to not attack or devour one another.
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Peace rock
The Peace rock analogy reminded me of God, who welcomes all without finding fault, don`t have to be perfect to drink from His well. He says, come as you are.'' He says, I don`t condemn you.''
His word is clear in Romans 8:1, “there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”(NKJV)
Psalm 18:2“ The Lord is my rock…” (NKJV)
All these are simple notes etched on /in our peace rock .
Shere Khan fumes fear and terror among the rest of the jungle dwellers but he also respects the water truce while at Peace rock and promises Akela (pack leader ) that the ,“ waters will rise again and their will be no need for a truce and then he will come for the human and devour him.”
Do these words sound familiar? Have you believed the devil`s lies, allowed fear to be instilled in you? forgotten who and whose you are?
Akela is a representation of Jesus ,who shields us from the devil`s trap to remind us that He is our shield and strength. He drapes us in strength for the new day.
Psalm 18:32,“ It is our God who arms me with strength ,And makes my way perfect.” (NKJV)
Akela
Shere Khan symbolizes the devil himself, who is out to get you. He grips you with fear and makes you forget,`whom you have believed in-Your deliverer, shield, rock, fortress, portion and strong tower.''
Shere Khan
Be reminded that, He who is in you is greater than He who is in the world (1 John 4:4) in spite of the Shere Khans of this world.
Like Paul, boldly declare, “…for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.”2 Timothy 1: 12
I had tea with a friend some weeks ago (he loves his tea and I love my bites, hehehe), we talked about a number of things as he sought to pick my opinion on various issues at hand. I obviously desired to hear his opinions too especially on the topic of dating and relationships.
I asked him why he has never dated and he had a mouthful to say;
“ because I don`t want to play with any girls heart.I want my words to have meaning to the one I choose to settle down with.
I don`t use endearments like dear, honey, boo or bae as they don`t easily roll off my tongue buh also because they are secretly kept for my ONE. I would be termed old school in most people`s lenses however, I am simply being true to myself and `HER’. I desire that every word I use she will believe it.
When I say she is my sugar, spice, honey and boo; she will believe every letter as it slips from my mouth. I never want her to doubt me or my words. Each word must carry great weight of meaning .
I refrain from touching any girl in a way I wouldn`t touch my sister because I don`t want to be misunderstood. I want my touch to be pure and leave nothing to chance. I want my touch on her to be firm, loving, tender ,protective-all these in just a simple touch.
In my singleness, I have put up boundaries which are not necessarily for the ladies I interact with but for ME. Funny,huh!!!. The boundary lines of Uganda are for Uganda to protect her territory. I will text with my lady friends however, I don`t want them to misunderstand me; so I keep my guard up. NO loose talk that will allow them to read in between the lines. I want the ONE to have no reason to remind me to put up my boundaries because she sees them clearly defined ;so do her friends and my friends.
The lines must be clear for all to see and respect; where there are no boundaries abuse is inevitable.
To my fellow men out there, protect each woman you meet. Don`t allow her to have a bad conception about all men. A statement has been coined, “all men are dogs’’ and I disagree not all men are dogs. Women in our lives need to be protected from unkind words, touches, stares, treatment that is not respectful.
Preserve each lady you meet; treat her with the respect she deserves and she doesn`t have to be the ONE for you to be moved to compassion and proper treatment.
Each lady is a queen, treat her as royalty while in that taxi , at the bank queue, voting lines, downtown traffic…….”
I couldn`t agree more with this rare specie of a man…..our tea moment was beyond words special and he got me praying for all our men to harbor such a message.
Do you struggle with who you are, how you see yourself and what value you attach to yourself? Have you labeled yourself based on the comparison effect of what your parents did or did not do, friends opinions, trends or reality shows?
The comparison effect simply means the ability to compare yourself to others based on body size, academic qualifications, clothes, family, and status. According to Coker.C, 2013; “By adolescence, studies show that young people are receiving an estimated 5,260 attractiveness messages per year from network television commercials alone.”
Television has become the standard measure of beauty for girls who compare themselves to Beyonce, Kardashians and they strive to be them. This is the bed rock of a poor self image, bitterness, anger and frustration when you they realize they can`t measure up to what the media dictates.
I have a friend whose father was the first man she fell in love with, he affirmed her, protected her, he was the center of her world and he made her believe she could be anything she wanted to be. She learnt at an early age to see value, worth and dignity through the eyes of her father. Parents are the bed rock for esteem building for children to climb through each stage of life.
There are three forms of parenting-Single parenting where one parent raises his or her children, Absentee parenting where both parents are alive but never actively involved in their children`s lives. They don`t have time to bond with their children, affirm them and hear their worries and straighten out their information. The children grow up knowing their parents are too busy for them and are unwanted.
Poor parenting involves use of abusive language, severe punishment and negligence towards children. These abusive words damage the image of children especially girls who look for a man to tell them their worth. The boys grow up very insecure and feel inadequate.
Parents need to be actively involved in their children`s lives, affirm them, teach, listen and share with them information as they negate what is not right according to the word of truth.
The bible says in Psalm 139:14“ I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.’’ (NKJV)
God created each one of us fearfully, wonderfully and compassionately; we are all beautiful in spite of how big or small we think we are.
Affirm yourself in the truth of the word of God not what the Kardashians say or do. What God says about you is constant unlike the trends and reality shows which are here today and gone tomorrow.
Don`t be like one who looks at herself in the mirror and when she leaves, she forgets how she looks like because of trends, TV, comparison but rather constantly remember you are God`s master piece-HE IS PLEASED WITH YOU NOW AND ALWAYS.
``Racheal you too!!!” I was rendered speechless when Brenda referred to my use of vulgar language ; seeing that i too had often wondered how i got there.I knew the answer too well-the company i was keeping.
In my senior six , i had a number of friends and i still do and as the norm with young people, certain language is used and the four lettered word (f**k) rolls off our tongues easily.As young people today we think its trendy to use vulgar language we hear on TV . Our elders shudder when they hear the “language of young people.”
There is a common saying,“ show me your friends and i tell you who you are.” I heard about “pulling” in my primary seven from a friend. She talked about the advantages of pulling and how her “sengas” told her it good to do it at a tender age.I had never had about the practice before so i paid a deaf ear however many of the girls after hearing the information desired to engage in the practice without even talking to their parents about it. This only reveals the power of friends in our lives; they can steer your life to where they want it to go and you never notice until it is too late.
Friends are like perfume the longer you have them, the more accustomed you become to their scent. If the scent is stronger than yours , you enjoy it and adopt it.The friends we make steer us either in the right direction or the wrong one.
Never lose yourself as you interact with friends; don`t allow them to live their lives through your life. The influence of your friends on you can be seen evidently through your actions, attitude and verbal language .
The bible says,“Be not deceived,bad company corrupts good morals”(1 Corinthians 15:33)
Are you the right company and perfume to your friends??
I attended the concluded Kampala festival and as i stood at the christian stage ; Pastor Kayanja said words that pierced through my heart-“the roads built are for you to enjoy , the flowers you step on are yours , they beautify your city and instead of fighting KCCA work with them to build your city and country.”
We bless the Lord for how far He has brought us as we celebrate 53 years of independence. However many of us take our country for granted when we step on the flowers put along roads, mismanage resources for roads and various projects, create “roads” where its clearly not a road, steal drugs from hospitals, complain about everything and nothing.
Make use of the dustbins and garbage points put up by KCCA instead of throwing “buveeras” on the roads, like rotary let us embrace social responsibility with our immediate neighbors or institutions so we build a better Uganda-a Uganda we are proud of.
Uganda yaffe , fall in love with Uganda .
Uganda can and will only be as good as her people
Do something for your country in this 53rd season of independence; let your shine on because as you shine so does your country.Pray, bless, be diligent with the vast resources you have , gain knowledge about what is happening in your country only then will you be a solution to your country.Uganda will manifest its true nature as the pearl of Africa through every individual who rightfully takes on their place .
Stop with the `gavumenti etuyambe”phrase and adopt the phrase“tuyambe gavumenti yaffe.”
#you are Uganda#happy 53rd independence#Uganda yaffe.
“Worry is like a rocking chair-it keeps you busy but gets you nowhere.”
As human beings, worry is our best-friend but that best friend who adds no value and is the source of our misery. Worry rocks its victims back and forth until they can`t go through the same routine .
Worry is a thief of joy, peace, happiness, creativity and innovation ; focus is put on negative thought patterns that glorify current situations other than our GOD.
The bible continuously calls upon us not to worry in Matthew 6:25-34 because worry causes us to turn our focus on our situations and self instead of God . Quit worrying for it keeps you busy but gets you nowhere.
# MY MEDITATION
Philippians 4:8
“Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble (means grand or impressive), whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things.”(NKJV)
A picture is worth a thousand words but harbors illusion.
A friend recently told me a story about a party he attended which was so boring and everyone agreed with him especially the girls who complained the most. The irony of the matter was the next day the girls from the party had posted photos with hashtags of how much fun they had had.
That is what social media has turned people into; lovers of validation from strangers so they have mastered the art of living their lives on social media forgetting a real world exists.
“Social media isn`t real .it`s purely contrived images and edited clips ranked against each other. It’s a system based on social approval, likes and dislikes, validation in views, success in followers…..it`s perfectly orchestrated judgement. And it consumed me.’’ “I found myself drowning in the illusion.’’ Instagram-famous teen and Australian model Essena O`Neil
No woman should ever feel the need to measure up to another woman because God has created each one of us uniquely and never consulted anyone while at it. Edited photos of models and girls on fb and Instagram have made girls get hooked on diets to lose and maintain certain body shapes. Wear make-up always that damages their skins, bleach so they acquire a certain color other than their own. Jealousy and rivalry is being supported on these platforms.
Social media is no doubt essential in the 21st century but it should not control our very being. We were created to rule and have dominion over everything in this world not the things having control over us. To most girls there is a standard way to smile, pout; fish style in all photos because that is the standard social media has set.
Social media has killed the essence of waiting on something; its super-fast and we expect people and God to be like social media with instant likes and dislikes, share and edit everything. Let us not forget the beauty that is in waiting on the Lord.
The bible says in Isaiah 40:31“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles,they shall run and not be weary,they shall walk and not faint.’’
Stand on the rock of ages who is not worked and limited by internet .His words about you is what should matter to you ; don`t be a slave to various platforms.
Jungle book has fascinated me as I shared in my previous blog post 
No Ordinary Scribbles 