Positive Quote for Today

"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."— Maya Angelou


How a Christian Life Is

A True Story
by
Copyright ©
Picture related to the title of the story
With permission, I have extracted this picture-quote from Spiritual Cleansing. All rights reserved worldwide.

As I wrote in my previous story on this blog, I regularly attended church at All Saints' Cathedral in Nairobi in 2007 and 2008 when I was an engineering student at JKUAT. Not only did I play the organ at the cathedral, I also enrolled for an evangelism course that inspired me to read the Bible.

A friend of mine at JKUAT named Mulinge Ndambuki must have sensed my religious nature because on one evening in 2008, he commented on how nice I was. Then he remarked in Sheng, "Sisi wacha tuponde raha; tutaokoka tukikaribia kukufa. (Leave us to enjoy life; we will get saved when we are nearing death.)"

Even though I was quite religious back in 2008, I was not one to demonize and sermonize Mulinge for telling me that he would get saved when nearing death. I just took his remark in good humor and continued minding my own business.

Come to think of Mulinge's remark, I infer that he perceived a Christian life as being very boring. Maybe he thought that allowing God in our lives makes us lose all the fun of living.

But is a Christian life really boring? I don't think so. On the contrary, a Christian life is:
  1. Joyful: This joy springs from a deep faith that there is a God in heaven who cares about our affairs more than any loving parent ever could. Such faith in God makes us Christians worry less. And one thing I have discovered about worry is that it is very addictive. If we start worrying about little things, we end up worrying about everything. Hence why we God-believing Christians are more joyful.
  2. Peaceful: This peace emanates from living an upright life that is congruent with Biblical values such as diligence, honesty, contriteness and forgiveness. As a result of leading a virtuous life, we don't suffer from the guilt that afflicts wicked people.
  3. Emboldening: This boldness comes from understanding and internalizing the Word of God. Throughout the Bible, we Christians are encouraged to live courageously and be ready to say "no". And courage is one of the key ingredients of successful living. If we lack courage, we attract to our lives all that is dehumanizing: poverty, oppression, manipulation, you name it.
  4. Hopeful: This hope comes from a belief that God is working out everything for our good. We Christians also have this hope that a better life awaits us in heaven after we die. And this hope helps us to cope with the worries and frustrations that litter our everyday living. It also makes us optimistic. And optimism, in turn, makes us have a sunny disposition.
To summarize my point, a Christian life isn't as boring as some people think. It is full of joy, peace, courage and hope, something that saves us Christians from much of the worry, guilt, timidity and hopelessness that bedevil the wicked.

Don't get me wrong: I don't mean to say that a Christian life is a constant high. We Christians also have our low moments as Billy Graham pointed out. As for me, God has always lifted me from such low moments to a path of peace and joy. I believe He will continue doing so in the future. After all, He is my Redeemer.

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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed the above story on how a Christian life is, you might also enjoy another one on "My Redeemer Liveth" which I wrote last year. Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.

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The Church Where I Belong

A True Story
by Thuita J. Maina
on Jul 12, 2020
Copyright ©
Picture related to the title of the story
This is All Saints' Cathedral in Nairobi, my old stomping ground.

When listening to hymns on my laptop, I sometimes find myself waxing nostalgic about the times I worshipped at All Saints' Cathedral. I joined the church in April 2007, a month before enrolling at JKUAT to pursue an engineering degree.

The first Sunday I set my foot in the cathedral, something made me feel at home there but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it was the cathedral's majestic organ and video screens or the way I was welcomed warmly.

All the same, I came to love being part of the cathedral's 9:30 a.m. English service choir which met for singing practice on Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons. When in JKUAT, I looked forward to joining it for singing practices.

Some ladies in the choir took an interest in me, obviously because I was handsome. One of them was Betty who escorted me to a matatu station on a rainy Thursday evening during my first days in the choir.

Another one was Janet Hazlehurst who invited me to performances of the Nairobi Orchestra. And then there was Ruth Wangire who sent me messages about upcoming fellowship activities of a cell group she led.

Being part of the choir was however not all moonlight and roses for me. Some choristers became suspicious of me. I now realize they were just reacting to the kind of person I was back then. Though handsome, I was painfully shy, socially inept and sometimes confused.

Owing to my shyness, I stayed on probation for quite a long time. Imagine after joining the choir in April 2007, I didn't sing in the pews till December. So I stayed on probation for seven months.

I didn't mind staying on probation for that long because I couldn't sing tenor to save my life. But it bothered me to not be fully participating in the choir on Sundays.

Soon after starting to sing in the pews in December 2007, I began accompanying the choir on the organ during church services. Some ladies in the choir got a special kick out of it. Even Dr. Imbugi Luvai, the chorister who introduced me to the choir, was happy.

I was destined to become one of the cathedral's organists after my name started appearing on the organists' roster. A custodian named Mutua even gave me a key to the organ while encouraging me to work hard as an organist, citing that the cathedral's organists were very much respected.

But guess what! Come August 2008 when I started going astray at JKUAT, I lost interest in attending church at All Saints' Cathedral. Though I have tried to resume going to the cathedral, I have never managed to do it with consistency.

I have however always felt part of the cathedral's 9:30 a.m. English service choir. That's why I used to send emails to its choristers. Doing so made me realize a calling to be a writer. The choristers did me the world of good by tolerating my many emails as I mastered the art of writing.

The choir is still dear to my heart. Hardly a day passes by without me thinking about its choristers. That's why I consider All Saints' Cathedral to be the church where I belong. So my wedding will be held there. How I wish God fulfils the desires of my heart soon!

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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed the above story on the church where I belong, you might also enjoy another one on "People Need the Lord" which I wrote sometime back. Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.

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Bible Quote

"Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say it again, rejoice! Let everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all you do... Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand."

~Phillipians 4:4-7 (TLB)

About the Author

Name: Thuita J. Maina
Nationality: Kenyan
Lives in: Kiserian, Rift Valley, Kenya
Mission: To inspire the world to godly living, one person at a time.

Just for Laughs

There was this drunkard named Azoge who loved drinking at Josiah's Bar. On being told a certain Hon. Nanga was flying to America to be conferred a law degree so that he could be admitted to the bar, Azoge replied, "Why fly all the way to America to be admitted to the bar while you can get into Josiah's Bar any time?"



The 7 Deadly Sins

  1. Pride
  2. Envy
  3. Gluttony
  4. Lust
  5. Anger
  6. Greed
  7. Sloth

Author's Note

I am learning to treat life as a journey, not a destination. So I am striving to enjoy each moment even as I anticipate to fulfill my dreams, especially meeting my soulmate and traveling abroad. Tomorrow may never be mine.

Fun Facts

  1. The fear of having no cell-phone service, running out of battery, or losing sight of your phone is called Nomophobia, reportedly affecting 66% of people.
  2. A single Google search needs more computing power than it took to send Apollo 11 to the moon. The Apollo computer was less equipped than a modern toaster.
  3. Besides being some of the biggest names in the tech industry, HP, Apple, Google and Microsoft share another commonality. They all started in garages.
~Extracted from Codingforums.com

Health Tip

So many of us take for granted the wonderful construction of the human body and the workings of its various parts. Some of us even expect it to function efficiently with less than the minimum care and attention. Learn the much you can about your body and how the care of it can help to give you that greatest blessing of all - good health.


Wonders of the Modern World

  1. The Simplon Tunnel
  2. The Sky-scrapers of New York
  3. The Boulder Dam of Colorado
  4. The Panama Canal
  5. The Golden Gate Bridge
  6. The Taj Mahal at Agra in India
  7. The North Sea Oil Drilling Rigs

Great Example for Politicians

"My life in politics was a joy. I loved campaigns and I loved governing. I always tried to keep things moving in the right direction, to give more people a chance to live their dreams, to lift people's spirits, and to bring them together. That's the way I kept score."

~Bill Clinton

Scientific Marvels

  1. Space travel
  2. Heart surgery
  3. Fibre-optics communication
  4. Concorde
  5. Radios
  6. Computers
  7. Anesthetics

My Supreme Desire

Although I'd like to be rich and famous, my supreme desire is to be radiant: to radiate health, cheerfulness, calm courage and goodwill. I wish to live without fear, hate, guilt, worry and jealousy; to be honest, natural, confident, clean in mind and body - ready to say "I do not know" if it be so; to treat all men with kindness; and to meet any loss, failure, criticism and rejection unabashed and unafraid.



Greatest American Presidents

  1. Abraham Lincoln
  2. George Washington
  3. Thomas Jefferson
  4. Franklin Roosevelt
  5. Theodore Roosevelt
  6. Woodrow Wilson
  7. Andrew Jackson

Making Peace With the Past

"Dwell not on your past. Use it to illustrate a point, then leave it behind. Nothing really matters except what you do now in this instant of time. From this moment onwards you can be an entirely different person, filled with love and understanding, ready with an outstretched hand, uplifted and positive in every thought and deed."

~Eileen Caddy

Toughest Colleges to Get Into

  1. MIT
  2. Princeton
  3. Harvard
  4. Yale
  5. Stanford
  6. Brown
  7. Columbia

Why You Should Trust God

"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will find out that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities and pour out peace."

~Ezra Taft Benson

The 7 Greatest Scientists

  1. Albert Einstein
  2. Isaac Newton
  3. Galileo Galilei
  4. Nikola Tesla
  5. Aristotle
  6. Archimedes
  7. Charles Darwin

You Matter

"Always be yourself. Never try to hide who you are. The only shame is to have shame. Always stand up for what you believe in. Always question what other people tell you. Never regret the past; it's a waste of time. There's a reason for everything. Every mistake, every moment of weakness, every terrible thing that has happened to you, grow from it. The only way you can ever get the respect of others is when you show them that you respect yourself and most importantly, do your thing and never apologize for being you."

~Unknown

The Most Industrialized Nations

  1. United States
  2. Japan
  3. Germany
  4. France
  5. United Kingdom
  6. Italy
  7. Canada

Keys to Success

"...in his effort to withstand temptation, to economize, to exercise thrift, to disregard the superficial for the real - the shadow for the substance; to be great yet small, in his effort to be patient in the laying of a firm foundation; to so grow in skill and knowledge that he shall place his services in demand by reason of his intrinsic and superior worth. This is the key that unlocks every door of opportunity, and all others fail."

~Booker T. Washington

The 7 Social Sins

  1. Politics without principle
  2. Wealth without work
  3. Pleasure without conscience
  4. Knowledge without character
  5. Commerce without morality
  6. Worship without sacrifice
  7. Science without humanity

Cherish What You Love

"Cherish your visions, cherish your ideals, cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts - for out of them will grow all heavenly environment, of these if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built."~James Allen

The World's Largest Cities

  1. London in England
  2. New York in the United States
  3. Tokyo in Japan
  4. Berlin in Germany
  5. Chicago in the United States
  6. Shanghai in China
  7. Paris in France

Benefits of Optimism

"In terms of success, optimistic people out perform their pessimistic colleagues. Research shows that they are consistently promoted higher and make more money while working fewer hours than those who think pessimistically. Optimists also contribute more significantly to social progress. It is the optimists who start and run successful companies, who win elections and carry out reforms, and who make breakthroughs in the realms of science and technology."

~Pepe Minambo

The World's Greatest Lakes

  1. Caspian Sea in the Commonwealth of Independent States, C.I.S. (formerly U.S.S.R)
  2. Lake Superior in North America
  3. Victoria Nyanza in Central Africa
  4. Aral Sea in C.I.S.
  5. Lake Huron in North America
  6. Lake Michigan in North America

Demonstrating His Love

"Take your communication for instance - the way you address others. It ought to be with loving, gracious and edifying words. Never talk people down. Never use words that hurt and demean people. Communicate excellently with others without destroying their self-image or making them feel sorry for themselves. Talk to people in a way that they never forget the excellence of your words, the love and grace of Christ that you communicated. It's how God wants us to love."

~Dr. Chris Oyakhilome

World's Longest Rivers

  1. Missouri-Mississipi (U.S.)
  2. Amazon (Brazil)
  3. Nile (Egypt)
  4. Yangtse (China)
  5. Lena (Russia)
  6. Zaire (Central Africa)
  7. Niger (West Africa)