In His Image

The news these days is so overwhelming. Just this morning alone I read about a Chinese yacht capsizing with 458 people on board and a petrol explosion in Ghana leaving over a hundred dead. It seems like the only way to cope is to put on one's rose-coloured glasses and get on with my day. Trauma after trauma can take you from shock to disbelief to exasperation to helplessness then numbness. That's if our conscience is even attuned to what goes on around us. It's so easy to be disengaged or indifferent to things that don't affect our immediate bubbles. At any given time we are going through some hardship of our own, our experiences are different to those of others therefore our reactions and perceptions of the world we live in could not possibly be unanimous. That's the common rationale. But sometimes, by no coincidence, you get to live the headlines, and you wait for the breakthrough moment but it just doesn't appear on the horizon. As you read this, I...

Badgyal Riri sang it when she said "I've got a thug in my life, how am I gonna tell my mama? She's gonna say it ain't right, but he's so good to me.." it's a struggle as old as time. What is it about bad boys that renders so many otherwise intelligent women utterly impotent in their presence? How is it that with their brashness and rough-around-the-edges approach we find ourselves yearning for their approval? There could be a number of reasons; a penchant for danger, the intrigue of the gamble and or just the desire to win them over. More times than I care to admit I find myself rooting for the intense, brooding, brutish, uncouth, arrogant characters. They are among the best actors, the best athletes, the best artists, the best models. Sure, I love a good ballad but if you caught me singing Breezy and Usher's 'New Flame' you too would agree there is just something about these types that's just so hard to resist.. Well, to be fair the...

Often I see the hashtag ‪#‎ blessed‬ and I wonder...  It's easy to look at the lives of others through superficial lens and envy what they have, what they look like, who society says they are and resultantly become discontent with your life and your circumstances. Then at other times, we look at those who are doing worse than we are, don't look the way we do or are in some way seemingly less fortunate and suddenly feel quite pleased with ourselves. Both perspectives are flawed in that they place our woefully misguided desires at the centre, believing that blessing can be measured. That more, faster, bigger, longer, smarter, richer is better. That having what we want is a sign that we have done something right. That surely we deserve a good life if we are good people who work hard. So we aim, strive, work, pray, and dream. Sometimes we get there, sometimes we die before we do, sometimes in that journey we miss the point altogether. I think that the re...

Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. -Benjamin Franklin Oh how countless the tempting moments I've succumbed to. 'It had to be said,' I thought. They say honesty is the best policy, but in many situations my intentions weren't always that noble. Sometimes it was verbal sparring, other times I had to vent, or make a point, or be witty, or make X understand, many times it was an unintentionally careless or thoughtless word. Once it was out, it was out there, and many a time thereafter, I had to eat my words. Hindsight is always 20/20 as they say, and how true that is, when it comes to our speech. We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. James 3:2 None but one, have ever lived up to this truly high calling. But I think the purpose of this verse was never to frustrate t...

It's been a dark few months in the world. In the wake of every imaginable disaster hitting different continents; political, religious, natural- I feel miniscule and helpless at the thought of it all. What could one person do to stop corruption, or the spread of Ebola, or save lives from terrorism? How can one ease the hurt and loss that plane crashes have caused? Is the one true theme in all these superhero movies the fact that the world is gradually getting worse? What does God think about all this? How do we manage to keep calm and carry on in the middle of such chaos? I think, somehow, quite comfortably. We watch the news, sigh in dismay, get back into our little bubbles and deal with our own problems, praying that we never have to personally face such a catastrophe. We have no way of telling when one day it will be our country, our families or friends but for now, we all have a part to play in mitigating of the repercussions of these disasters. These are exhortations to mysel...

One afternoon as I went through my 'Soulful' playlist, a thought came to mind as I listened to one of my all-time favourites; Lana del Rey- 'Young and Beautiful'. Do obscenely good-looking people ever worry that their beauty is not enough..? Next came 'Pretty Hurts' by Beyonce and I wondered if she actually lived out those words and rebelled against the status quo, how much of a difference that would make to her daughter, and to how her legions of fans perceive her.   I consider myself a moderate consumer of pop culture with an innate confidence, and yet I am no stranger to the allures of the glossy and glamorous lifestyle. While I, and most people I've spoken to say they'd never go the full monty with cosmetic surgery, most of us have felt at some point or another that longer legs, harder abs, more sculpted arms et al wouldn't go amiss. I will go on record to say that last week I spent approximately two hours idling through photos of Irina Sh...