Friday, 16 October 2015

The beauty of my impulsive brains: Just thoughts; yes my thoughts are just!

The beauty of my impulsive brains: Just thoughts; yes my thoughts are just!: I have always wondered at this fact. That someone can be so
in love they will lay down their lives for another. Am not talking about Jesus,
yet. I could though.

The beauty of my impulsive brains: SUBSTANDARD PEOPLE OR SUBSTANDARD HABITS?

The beauty of my impulsive brains: SUBSTANDARD PEOPLE OR SUBSTANDARD HABITS?: I am sorry to go
on a rant but I think we have taken the habit of absentmindedly and
unquestioningly attending church and reading the Bible and justified it as
submission.....

SUBSTANDARD PEOPLE OR SUBSTANDARD HABITS?




So, as a people group are we simply blind to quality or is it something else? I don’t get it. 
Overtime, I have noticed that although I am a very committed Christian, I would rather watch secular movies, read secular novels and many a time listen to ‘secular music’.  The reason is simple. The ‘secular people’ as we have labelled them have a great culture of diligence and service delivery.
I am sorry to go on a rant but I think we have taken the habit of absentmindedly and unquestioningly attending church and reading the Bible and justified it as submission. Unfortunately, overtime, that has meant that we have created an unhealthy, unconscious association that permits us to do a lot of substandard work.
Just to be clear.
In the spirit of saying what I mean, let me say that there is a great Christian channel that shows a movie every weekend. Overtime, I always tried to catch their movies. I always started off excited because I thought to myself. “ Yes, I’ve got one today!” then after about 15minutes of watching I’d give up because the storyline is weak, the pictures are dull, the sound is hopeless, the actors are amateur and the Channel with High Standards misleading the actors by playing their ‘fake movie.’
Then there are our lousy attempts at writing novels. I don’t feel like finishing this thought because it hurts so much. Still write I must. You see most writers are readers and so know obviously that a great piece of writing is usually riveting and engaging. The description is as fierce as “Thomas Hardy’s the story telling as good as ‘Charles Dicken’s, the characterization as important as the storyline and the wording as authoritative as ‘William Shakespeare’s.” When I read something, I always want it to have these aspects. I want the book to be an experience. I want it to take me into its world. I want to see the picture so clearly that I am absent from this dimension for a spell. I want find myself walking around with my face stuck in the page. I want to rush home from work just to continue reading, I love the experience of being angry with the electricity distribution company because they subjected my location to load shedding when I have a story to finish.  Most Christian books don’t offer us this and yet the Bible does.
Lastly, about Christian Music…….  I…….!!!!  
Lest you think I am an unappreciative Christian, may I pay tribute to a few Christians who have done things right
TYLER PERRY
Mr. Perry, God richly bless you for giving us great movies. You give us moving stories with great humor and oh how I love your characterizations! Your stage plays are basically the best I know of and really who doesn’t Love the “Madea movie series”. You have honored God with your abilities. I am glad to say you made my Christianity a lot more fun and easier so much that I could look forward to a Night out to watch a Christian movie with Friends. I thought I would never do that with a Christian movie. Most are just passing through. You are going somewhere.
FRANCINE RIVERS
Francine, Oh dear Francine. (I could say your name again and again!) You do such a great job. You exceed all the standards that any critical passionate book lover sets. I believe that staunch atheists read your novels. I don’t know anyone who has read a book of yours and not been moved. Everyone I know that reads your books falls in love with your work. It all comes alive in every single way rivalling all literary works (and I write this confidently). You are Honorable Francine because you have Honored God and written great Romance stories about People and allowed Him to be Himself as a character. How you do it is simply Genius! I LOVE YOU
Tommy Tenney
Here I must thank a young man named ‘Edgar’ from my secondary school days for investing his money in buying books for our little Scripture Union Library. Edgar, God knows what you did better than I do. We are grateful.
And Now to Pastor Tommy Tenney. Until I read your book ‘Extreme God Chasers,‘  I had tried to read many Christian books on many Christian topics and failed miserably because they just were not engaging (Oh, at the time I was already reading two 200-350 pg novels a week). I read them like most Christians read their bibles; out of a sense of duty. The day I picked up your book, I discovered that I too could read and love Christian literature. Your book, which, may I add is not a novel caught me in its discourse with a grip firmer than a piece of metal locked in an anvil. I have sought your works since then and my relationship with God was fanned into a Furnace by your work. Thank you for being the one man who can write on a Topic like seeking God and make it as riveting as any work can be. You are exactly the kind of person whom everyone intending to create a Christian audience centered piece of work should study. You are very informative, relevant, unabstracted, engaging, descriptive and a host of other words that evade me. Thank you for sharing your gift.

Some works by the above Individuals
Tyler Perry
Francine Rivers
Tommy Tenney

(c) ojara andrew charles 

Thursday, 9 April 2015

Just thoughts; yes my thoughts are just!


Things said are things thought. Most thoughts are things seen around us.  Beautiful words are simply day to day facts laid out with mastery and this introduction seems to have nothing to do with the topic…. Hahahaha!!!

So, I went to boarding primary school in Busoga here in Uganda and one day during the third year of my seventh year, I did something foreign to my character. I took possession of an item, a football  that did not belong to me just because I thought to myself, ‘the owner just finished Primary Seven and so he has no need for this ball, I mean he’s going home for ‘vacation.’’ Vacation is the school break for pupils transitioning from the Primary to Secondary school level in Uganda. Needless to say, I was spotted, hunted down by the owner who basically turned all his fury on me and decided he’d inflict vengeance for all the injustices he had suffered through primary school on me.

Alas! He had never been more wrong.

Realising that my punisher was going to lay it all on me, I took flight with whatever speed I could master with my assailant in pursuit. Every once in a while he’d catch up and kick my butt but I kept on running.  I just had to lose him and hide away.

As I ran my brother who was my assailants’ classmate showed up out of nowhere and flew at him with a crazy rage…… and both my fears, pains and troubles were taken away. Blood spoke louder than the wrong I had done. My assailant got a beating. I was safe. Water for all its justification had nothing on me.

I can tell you plenty of other stories from my childhood that shout blood is thicker than water but I am sure you have your own to tell so I won’t bore you. Neither should you bore me with yours. I am not doing a case study over here; just writing.

Part B;

I have always wondered at this fact. That someone can be so in love they will lay down their lives for another. Am not talking about Jesus, yet. I could though. I have always wondered about the true feelings of girls when they leave their parent’s home and adopt those of their spouse. I shudder that even when it doesn’t go smoothly where they’ve gone, they more often than not stick it out. They give away their lives and seal it with a new name. I think it’s admirable but over and above, I know it’s an enigma that I still haven’t solved. Maybe a kind lady will make me understand.

I have thought about friends. It amazes me that friendships are such stable relationships. A friend once sent me the following sms. She said ‘good friends are like the morning. You can’t have them  all through your day but you’re sure they’ll be here when you wake up tomorrow.’ I have friends spread out and am sure so do you and the impressive thing is that neither time nor distance, nor absence of contact affects our bond. I don’t understand how that works. The weird thing is we always hit it off once we bump into each other. It is a thing of beauty. So much so the Bible or the Good Book for those who fear its name says, ‘there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.’

I have known families that live apart and only come together for a wedding and a burial. I have also known families that make excuses to meet each other. They have the duty to.

Friends will just show up and will not always give you a reason. When they are not in touch, they will think about you, even miss you. They do not have a duty to.

Human beings are complex and so is their behaviour so I won’t pretend that I’ve figured it out. Blood is thicker than water, love is thicker than blood???

I need a Wife



I need a wife
But who is she?
I need a wife,
But are you her?
I need a wife
But can it be,
 That I’ll never know who she really is?
I seem to know what I want her to be like;
I want her to be smart, and beautiful and kind and warm
I want her bold and graceful
But isn’t it what every guy does?
He writes a list of requirements and then He goes out, gets a belle
 and she seems everything he ever dreamed of
In fact, she is everything he ever dreamed of until….
Just until that moment when for one split second she is not…
Then, She is everything he never dreamed of….
When she comes out of her shell and reveals her true self
When she not only stands up to your nose but dares you too!

I need a girl who’ll dare me now
I need a girl who’ll give me the chance to get to know her, really get to know her
So that when I have a wife,
I’ll have a truth that’s bound by the truth
I need a wife who is TRUE
I just need a woman who’s who she really is
I ……
I need a wife but is she you?
(c) Ojara Andrew