God dey....... its in the valleys i grow

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 

Robert Frost

Weekend Glory...... (Maya Angelou)

Some clichty folks
don't know the facts,posin' and preenin'
and puttin' on acts,
stretchin' their backs.

They move into condos
up over the ranks,
pawn their souls
to the local banks.
Buying big cars
they can't afford,
ridin' around town
actin' bored.

If they want to learn how to live life right
they ought to study me on Saturday night.

My job at the plant
ain't the biggest bet,
but I pay my bills
and stay out of debt.
I get my hair done
for my own self's sake,
so I don't have to pick
and I don't have to rake.

Take the church money out
and head cross town
to my friend girl's house
where we plan our round.
We meet our men and go to a joint
where the music is blue
and to the point.

Folks write about me.
They just can't see
how I work all week
at the factory.
Then get spruced up
and laugh and dance
And turn away from worry
with sassy glance.

They accuse me of livin'
from day to day,
but who are they kiddin'?
So are they.

My life ain't heaven
but it sure ain't hell.
I'm not on top
but I call it swell
if I'm able to work
and get paid right
and have the luck to be Black
on a Saturday night. 

Maya Angelou

The "Tentmakers": (Part 1).

 You and Your Skills 

The Apostle Paul had a remarkable revelation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and accounts for nearly two thirds of the New Testament. He is by far my favourite bible character, after The Lord Jesus Himself..... I just love Paul!!! Paul had remarkable intellect, and was passionate about reading and learning. He was one of the most educated men, in his day. Just his writing style alone, has had more influence on the structure of language, than any man in history.

He was passionate about evangelism, and traveled through many parts of Europe and Asia, on foot! He was a man of boundless energy!

He was also a very successful entrepreneur! He even entered into joint ventures, with business partners. He made a lot of money, and although he received money from partners, who wanted to help him in his missionary trips, he never needed "aid or support from anyone". He graciously received the money, because he knew it would bless those who gave him the money.

Through Paul, we learn that God's concern is not that we have money,but rather how we make the money, and how we use it. Paul and his colleagues worked hard, made money, and used it to mount missionary trips, plant churches, and give to the poor; they kept nothing for themselves, and did not care for the trappings of wealth themselves. They did not beg anyone,or demand anything from anyone; they were as he put it, "self sufficient, and requiring no aid from anyone. And fully able to meet any need that confronted them." They saw the "love" of money, as evil, and not money, as evil.

Paul was a highly skilled professional man, and his skills were highly sought after. He was just like some of you, who might be computer programmers, architects, engineers, technicians, or farmers.

Where did I learn all this, you might ask? It is all right there in the bible; I do not use any other source other than the bible itself; and I do not read commentaries, about the bible.

The life of Paul as shown in the scriptures, shows us that even if you see yourself, as highly educated, it is important to always see your education, in terms of how it translates into skills; this is because to put food on the table, to send children to school, to be able to help those in need, to be able to partner in the work of ministry; we need to be PAID for our skills. We are paid for our skills, even if those skills derive from education.

In the next few posts, I intend to examine the issue of skills, and skills development.

Are you a "Tentmaker"?

To be continued...

by Strive Masiyiwa