Inside the Philips arena, there was a WWE ten rounds boxing match going on between two world renowned boxers. Excitement filled the air as both the young to the old gathered to witness this historical fight. The cheering was endless, the noise earsplitting and it grew louder and louder with every round and every punch thrown.

I recently read, Birds of Kamiti by Benjamin Garth Bundeh. The story is a true recount by the author on his incarceration for a crime he didn’t commit. In the first trial he is found guilty of murder and is sentenced to capital punishment. Having gone through the first trial he doesn’t trust any lawyer to represent him fairly. Thus he opts to represent himself in the appeal which he wins and is granted freedom; the one thing he craved since he first set foot in the police cells.

Off the bat the book doesn’t come off as a Christian literature but further down the pages i encountered what sometimes is our daily struggle; the fight to keep our faith when everything falls apart. How do we maintain a steady gaze at the one who called us while everything is moving at a dazzling speed? 

Perfection is a trait that has always fascinated me. I was thinking about it the other day after a conversation with some friends about how we are propelled by the fear of disappointing the people who expect something from us. I am probably not the only one either; talk to any HR person who does talent acquisition and you will hear that in job interviews the most common answer to the question ‘’what is your weakness?’’ is the fact that people seem to think they are perfectionists. I know there're guys who say it because it seems to be the ‘’most appropriate’’ response to land the job; but, what about those that struggle with this need to be perfect?

Take me for example… :-) 

Imagine with me the scene in the unfolding of Joshua Chapter 6.

 ‘Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.’

The Israelite’s army is possibly running trials on their weapon system; the snipers are perfecting their sharp shooting skills, blacksmiths adding final touches on new spears/arrows. Army men trained to climb walls are getting final instructions drilled into them. Thorough-bred horses are getting fed on the highest quality hay available to ensure they are well fed before going into battle.

I was in a matatu the other day on my way home when Michael Bolton’s song Soul Provider came up. It’s a pretty old song and to be quite honest it was not the first I was hearing it but it was the first time that I paid attention to the lyrics. Maybe it was the fact that I was so close to the hair raising speakers or the fact that I was seated in the middle seat right behind the driver (isn’t that the most uncomfortable seat though?)