Rediscovering The Pearl of Servanthood Book Review

True servanthood that all should strive for, places great emphasis on service rather than recognition and titles

Reviewed by Nicholas Asego of ‘The Standard’ newspaper

The call to servanthood is a tough one for all mortals. While it remains one of the highest calls in life, rank or title, servanthood is the least admirable trait to many. It is this disturbing trait that the author sets out to correct and inspire many the pearl that is in servanthood .In this life characterized by a lifestyle commonly referred to as rat race, the majority’s desire is always to find the key to success that will ensure he or she ahead of his colleagues, peers or even snooping relatives

“Most people have their eyes on success and majority will do anything to achieve it,” writes the author. Daniel Wabala in Rediscovering The Pearl Of Servanthood sets to find out what true servanthood involves and explains away the misconception that many have regarding being a servant.

According to the author, servanthood is highest model of life, despite the worlds attempt to try and make it like the lowliest kind of life. People just need to try and rediscover, redefine and understand what makes it a fundamental virtue.

One of the key characteristics of servanthood is self denial, the ability to think of the good of others before oneself. This is in great contrast to what the author calls the self –syndrome that is behind most of the ills in the society including corruption.
“This is the reason someone would amass and hoard a lot of wealth for himself through corrupt means at the expense of many people languishing in abject poverty”, writes the author. In pursuing servanthood it is imperative for one to position himself or herself at a place of sacrificing their own interest for themselves and others.

Another shining light of servanthood is that servants don’t impose their authority on others despite the overwhelming temptation to do that.” in most institutions today, you don’t have to ask who is in authority, they are readily visible,” observes the author.

Many get their satisfaction and gratification from literally “throwing their weight and rank around”. Yet this “boss” mentality is a hindrance to meaningful relationships where people can mentor each other .This aspect robs humans of the right to use their own faculty of responsibility and accountability and instead creates fear insecurity and manipulation that negatively interfere with performance.

Servanthood has everything to do with humility. Its one of the principles that defies the worlds rule on greatness and has also been the waterloo of many politicians “serving others will not strip you of your rank, title or position; that view is held by insecure people who feel that they have to perform to appear to be in authority .” This was perhaps best exemplified by former US president Ronald Regan after the assassination attempt.

While recuperating in hospital the still weak president went down on his hands to wipe the water that he had accidentally spilled on the floor. The most powerful man in the free world didn’t want to bother his aides or his nurses for a problem he had caused’. This meekness, which according to the dictionary is strength under control. Meekness for a leader means setting strides that are comfortable for others and helping them catch up with you.

While everybody is obsessed with titles, true servants are not title seekers. Watchmen and cooks would rather be called security personnel and food specialist respectively.”…The value of one is not in the job and responsibility you fulfill”, cautions the author. Though the author declares that he’s not opposed to titles, he cautions that they can be a snare especially when conceived from the wrong motives.

The true servanthood that all should strive for places great emphasis on service rather than recognition and titles.

The author attributes many failures in leadership both political and even in the church to lack of faithfulness, again a key component in servanthood.

“Many people will only behave well when there is someone watching; that is why we have people who normally develop two faces, one in public and the other for the private life,” he writes. The lack of this vital component is greatly responsible for marital breakups, failure of business partnerships, bitterness in friendships etc. The tragedy of our society is that it has discarded faithfulness and all related words like commitment, loyalty, reliability and integrity.

In a chapter entitled “servants bear the heat of the day” the author takes a look at Nelson Mandela one of the Africa’s leading statesmen. His rise to becoming one of the most significant black leaders in South Africa and a symbol of the anti-apartheid movement was due to the fact that he constantly and consistently refused to compromise his political position in order to obtain his personal freedom. He was willing to bear the heat of the day to see his people liberated.

Another example is martin Luther who endured numerous police arrests and other difficulties few would be willing to undergo. Yet their unselfish acts earned the freedom that no money could buy for many. True servants are willing to endure difficulties in their service for their masters. Like in the case of both Mandela and Luther their master was the struggle for freedom for the people.

These are just some of the principles on servanthood shared by the author, a reading of the book will reveal more. Drawing examples from the bible and the contemporary world, it is ideal for both practicing and aspiring leaders. Given its candidness, explicitness, depth and penetrating revelation, Rediscovering the Pearl of Servanthood will definitely help the reader unravel the rare gem only found in servanthood

This book can be ordered from amazon.com,barnesandnoble.com and walmart.com

A SERVANTS ATTITUDE

Over and over in the Gospels, Jesus reinforces the idea that the Kingdom of Heaven is different from the kingdoms of the world. For instance to be great in the Kingdom of God, one must be like a little child, one must be the servant of all, one must be the least.
This is hard for us to do as human beings. We have a lot of pride. We don’t like to be weak, powerless and used. We really don’t care for the idea of being servants. Yet that is what the Bible calls all of us to do.

How can you tell if you have a servant attitude?

By the way you act when you are treated like one.

The first job that I had immediately after High school was selling doughnuts—I used to spend considerable time vending this goods from my small confectionery to shop owners. This to me seemed to be like one of the lowest jobs….I couldn’t even talk about it to my friend s in church and some times when I met them I would want to hide .My customers also used to think I am at their mercy and so some times they could be rude fussy and even arrogant at the way they treated me. This really used to get to my nerves some times I also had to develop some instincts like them to survive. Some days it was all I could do to keep from screaming at people, “Don’t you realize who I am? I don’t have to be doing this. I’m only here because I am waiting to join some college. I’m not just some moron you can push around and scream at!” But I didn’t. Most of the time, I just complained to my mother after the exercise and just let it go.

What does it mean to be a servant? Ephesians 5:21 gives us the Big Picture: “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

What a short verse, but that says so much. How much trouble, hurt feelings and divisions in our church could be avoided if we all just took this verse to heart and lived by it? This verse comes before all those troublesome teachings of Paul toward husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and slaves. Man, those teachings are hard to swallow for us thoroughly modern 21st-century enlightened people!

We don’t want to submit to anyone or anything — not masters, not a parent, not a spouse, and certainly not to God. That’s our sinful nature. That’s the root of our sin. We want our own way and we don’t much care who gets hurt as long as we get it.

And so, serving others can’t possibly come from our flesh. It can only from the power of the Holy Spirit to love others. Why do we submit to one another? Out of reverence for Christ. Don’t think of it as submitting to your husband, or your boss, or your pastor, or that troublemaker on the worship committee … give up having your own way as you would yield to Christ.

Eph. 6:5-9
“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

“And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.”

The slave is a person who is not his own, but his master’s purchased property. And are we not purchased by God by the price of His Son’s blood? The slave’s only business is to do as he is told. This means, first of all, that we are slaves of our Lord. But to be slaves of Christ, He tells us that we must be the slaves of our fellow servants.

What does submission look like? How far does it go? Well, the standard is pretty high.
Phil. 2:5-8
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!”

You and I have no choice about being obedient to death. We can try to stave it off, but inevitably we will die physically. Not so for Jesus. He really could have come down from the cross if he wanted. He could have commanded a legion of angels to save him. But he didn’t. So he could be our Servant and our Savior.

Jesus knew who he was. He knew that he was God the Son, second Person of the Trinity, the Word made flesh. But Jesus didn’t grasp for the honor that was due to him as God. He submitted his will to the Father’s and became a man and sacrificed himself on our behalf.

Our problem so many times with having a servant attitude is that we somehow feel that our rights will be violated. It hurts our pride. But here’s the thing: You are no less the person God created you to be when you allow yourself to become a servant. You haven’t lost anything. You aren’t less of a person. It’s your attitude, not your latitude.

When the apostle Paul was shipwrecked on the island of Malta, we read in Acts 28, it was raining and cold, but Paul went to help gather brushwood for the fire. He could have easily left that for the islanders to do — after all, he’d just survived a terrible shipwreck — but he made himself as one of them, not as a special guest. It’s a very concrete example of Paul putting others before himself.

Dwight Moody was probably the greatest U.S. evangelist of the 19th century, the Billy Graham of his time. Once a group of pastors from Europe came to Massachusetts to attend one of Moody’s Bible conferences. Following a European custom, the guests put their shoes outside their rooms to be cleaned by the hall servants overnight. But this being America, there were no hall servants.

Walking down the halls that night, Moody noticed the shoes. He didn’t want these guest pastors to be embarrassed. He mentioned the need to some ministerial students, but nobody wanted to help. So Moody gathered up the shoes himself, took them to his room and cleaned and polished them.

When the foreign visitors found their clean shoes the next morning, they had no idea who had done the work. Moody was a powerful preacher who attracted tens of thousands to his sermons. Surely preaching is a more valuable service to the people of God than shining shoes. But Moody didn’t see it that way. He had a servant’s heart, and whatever he did, he did it as unto the Lord.

Wherever we are, the work we do is a service to God. If we work at home, we honor the Lord by preparing meals, cleaning house, working in the yard and making home repairs.

If we are employed outside the home, we honor God and serve Him by serving our bosses well. In a sense, they are our “earthly masters.” It does not matter whether they are Christians or not, or whether our work directly furthers the Kingdom of God or not. It serves God and others when we do our work as unto the Lord.

Think of the example of Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They were taken into exile by Babylon and forced to be trained for 3 years for the king’s service. But they submitted themselves to the king’s training except in one area — the observance of God’s dietary laws. They insisted on being faithful to God and God rewarded their integrity.

Daniel 1:17-21
“To these four young men, God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. And Daniel remained there until the first year of king Cyrus.”

Daniel and his friends could have seen the Babylonian king as their enemy — he had after all conquered their country and taken them into exile. But instead they used the gifts of wisdom and learning that God gave them to serve the king.

In our own lives, we may have bosses we don’t especially like. We may have to work with people here at church who don’t go along with the way we want to do things. But it is important for us to see God’s hand at work in these things. And to accept that he has put us under certain authorities for a reason. Just because Nebuchadnezzar was not a believer in the God of the Jews didn’t mean God couldn’t use him to carry out His plans.

So to sum up, following Jesus is to be a servant in whatever we do. Pray that God grants us the power of his Spirit to live as people who are not their own. Pray that our relationships with one another in the church begin to demonstrate this to the outside world. What a different face the church would present to the world. A glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

The secret to greatness

Matthew 20:26
In politics, the paths to success and significance are paved with the right contacts, the right connections, and the right contributions. In Nairobi that is my hometown for the past 20 years, a series of investigations and indictments have unearthed the seamier side of this cycle--political favors and premium jobs doled out in exchange for campaign funds and other perks. Sadly, the common defense in most of these cases is, “That’s just politics. It’s how things are done.” As one comedian aptly put it, “You know it’s cold in Nairobi when the politicians have their hands in their own pockets!”
Actually, from an earth-side point of view, there may be some advantages to a “political” approach to life. Our world is all about “who you know” and “What have you done for me lately?” We are primed early on to look out for ourselves and to do whatever it takes to not miss our big break.
But if you see yourself as a follower of Christ, that kind of thinking bears little resemblance to His life and teaching. Take for instance the encounter that Jesus had with two of His most committed disciples. An encounter that only goes to prove that even the best of us can still have those political instincts alive and well deep inside.
James and John grab for the brass ring as they try to cash in on some relational capital. Matthew 20:21 suggests that James and John may have convinced their mother to petition Jesus for some plumb cabinet positions in the new kingdom: “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” Wow, what a bold request! But if you don’t stick up for yourself, who will?
What were these guys thinking? Probably the same kinds of thoughts that cross our minds as we think about our role in Jesus’ plan. “I’m sure I could be doing that job much better than that person. When is God going to entrust that kind of position to me?” “Serve as an usher? No thanks, but don’t forget to call me when that elder position is open.”
“I’m really bummed that I have done all of this and no one has even offered a word of thanks.”
“If I’m nice to him I can leverage our relationship to get ahead.” “We’ve had them over for dinner twice, and they have never included us in anything!”
Sound familiar? Sadly, I don’t think I’m alone in battling the inborn desire to be noticed, to be affirmed and to feel significant. Scripture records that the other disciples were visibly ticked at James and John’s request—probably because they had beaten them to the punch and used their mother in the process. Talk about unfair leveraging of relationships!
The cure for this disease of “Hey! How about me” self-promotionitis is found in the response of Christ when He said, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Matt. 20:26).
A servant? The one who quietly and humbly submits to and serves the desires of others regardless of personal recognition? Doesn’t sound like the politician’s path to greatness or the world’s path to significance, does it?
But it’s the path Jesus took. Before going all the way to the cross He told His disciples, “the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). If we’re striving to be like Him, no task is beneath us, no person is below us, and no legitimate sacrifice is too great. From Jesus’ point of view, servanthood is the path to significance. As a friend of mine says, “In the kingdom, the way up is down!”
Let’s drop the old “What will others do for me?” routine and get on with serving others as Jesus served us.

SERVANTHOOD-The mark of greatness!

Christian servanthood is given to us by example throughout the entire Bible revealing a wonderful lifestyle filled with blessings and opportunities to see lives changed as never seen before. Living out our perception of how Christ lived, as a servant to others, is the ultimate example after which we ought to fashion our lives. When we figure out what it means to lead by serving, this is when we truly understand what servanthood was meant to be.

We have been shown how to lead by people who gave examples of serving throughout many different generations and in many ways. Servanthood in the Bible is shown through numerous examples of both women and men, both in the Bible and in the church's history; people such as Dorcas who sewed garments for the poor, and Martha who served almost to a fault, or Paul who gave an entire life in service spreading the gospel of Christ whom He met years after He had ascended to Heaven. These and many others showed what it meant to do good deeds of kindness, sacrificing personal time and resources for others without ever expecting to be repaid. But it all started with the life of Christ - the one who has shown us the meaning of a true servant. Jesus took the form of a servant, while proclaiming the status as the Son of God the whole time, choosing to serve rather than be served. This is the example that we ought to live our lives after; the embodiment of Christian servanthood. When He washed the disciples feet, we saw what a Christian attitude is supposed to be - humbling oneself, disregarding status, and meeting the immediate needs of others. When Christ would show up at tax collectors homes or take the day to spend with unlovely or undesirable people, we saw the Christian example we are to embody in action.

The beautiful thing about Christ is His leading by example and showing the true life of servanthood. Servanthood in the Bible meant putting others before oneself no matter what. At no time did Christ proclaim himself better than anyone else, although on every occasion the heart of Christ showed others what is meant to truly 'love'. No one could deny that the servanthood of Jesus because they saw it every day. Our lives can become much more meaningful and with purpose if we are willing to give our whole selves to the service of the Lord without looking back. Only then can we truly experience the abundant life God has for us. For more insight into God's plan for us, visit these Bible resources.

This godly lifestyle must be considered as something incredibly important. Christian servanthood can manifest itself in our daily lives if we are willing to lead by serving. We must show others the example shown us in the Bible and how it can be lived out in today's world. When we become godly servants, we must look past ourselves and see only the Lord. Our focus must be in the right place. Only then can we truly experience what the Lord has for us in serving.

We need to look at the Lord to see where we are being led us as we seek to live such a life. Only when we get our focus correctly, will we be able to see who He is with a greater understanding. He will show us how to completely deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him. When we do that, he will lead us to a place of peace and contentment in any circumstance. The Lord can show us what we need to see by His Spirit, who will provide the understanding of who he is and how we can use our personal spiritual and physical gifts so we can more effectively serve others. We can do small things of serving others by simple things such as taking time to speak to or provide them with a meal. Sometimes giving someone time to talk and be listened to or even just sitting with them are some of the greatest ways that we can honor the Lord by serving.

Christ is the best example of demonstrating Christian servanthood the way it is meant to be in God's eyes. Being a true servant is seeing people as opportunity for a relationship rather than just as needy people we walk by every day. Being able to see them with Christ's eyes will show them His presence within the depths of our hearts. Serving others is one of the most effective ways to lead them to the Lord. Many forget or ignore this command of the Christian life, but it is best to show others Christ through actions rather than words. "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who...made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant" (Philippians 2:3-5,7).

THE HEART OF A SERVANT LEADER

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THE HEART OF A SERVANT LEADER

The bible exhorts us to gird our hearts with all diligence, for it is out of it that the issues of life flow (Prov 4: 23). Whether you are talking about jealousy, hatred insecurity or malice, they all spring from the heart. There is no doubt then that the heart is what makes a leader. Our character is normally formed by what we allow in our hearts, if you allow negative things about people in your heart the next thing that automatically happens is that you begin resenting those people.

The bible says that God searches the reins and the heart, though men look at the outside but our God looks at the heart. That is why when it came to appointing a leader for Israel men went for looks and chose Saul- he was quite outstanding, but when Gods turn came, he chose a young ruddy boy that had been even rejected by His own father .He had been relegated to taking care of the sheep-very unlikely, there was nothing about him that made him look like he could amount to any leadership position, yet God says ‘ He is man after my own heart’.

It is important for us to realize that God looks at the heart in any leader before endorsing him for any leader ship position, I mean consider Esau and Jacob, the bible says that Esau had all the looks for greatness –hairy and a man of the fields in addition to this he was a cunning hunter -no wonder his father loved him, he was his symbol of success, he was one of those kids that parents are normally proud of, Jacob on the other hand was, weak, smooth, and timid (mamas boy always in the tents) that out of a mothers love for a child, you know mothers don’t always have a choice when it comes to loving their kids, whether the kid turns out to be a criminal or a junkie a mother will still love her child, no wonder when God wants to refer us to his unconditional love He refers us to the love of a mother.
Any way someone who didn’t love him because of what he had or was but one that loved unconditionally just like our God has loved all of us unconditionally loved Jacob.

Despite Esau’s qualification, even before he could prove himself in life God says “Jacob have I loved but Esau I have hated.”
Friends it is all about the heart, God is not moved by being exceptionally gifted, your background or qualifications, He is moved by what is in your heart, He says, “I will desire mercy and not sacrifice”.
I have been studying God’s choice of a leader and it still amazes me. It is not that God looks for the perfect, for if you consider the above examples you will realize that the people God chose were still human beings and part from their insufficiencies they had human frailties, they were weak people, Jacob was a liar, David had a weakness for women, I mean if it is talking about perfect, they were imperfect, but the bible says, that God has chosen the weak things of this life to shame the wise. We need to realize that God is looking for people who are pure in heart, people who are broken in spirit, people who have a contrite spirit.

Our heart is the well spring of life, when we contain things like insecurities, hatred, being inhuman, not being considerate to other people, choosing who to love…it is such little things that reveal what is hidden in our hearts. God normally looks for how we react to small things; it speaks volumes on what is stored in our hearts. Saul was a man full of insecurities, he couldn’t allow other people that God was raising under him to grow, he chased after David with the intention to take his life, as a leader, are you insecure in your position that you have been unable to multiply yourself? Insecurity is a bad thing because as you refuse to help other people Grow that God has placed under you, God will still raise them any way. Esau on the other hand was a very selfish person, He could do anything to get what he wanted, I mean look here he is asked for his father to get something in order to get His blessings and the worst part about his story is that he didn’t even consider his young brother, Jacob, he wanted the blessings only to himself. God hated him right from the womb, he always wanted to be first, even coming out of the mothers’ womb, he strode past his brother, God hates people who only think about themselves. As God is raising you into a leader, please allow him to do a deeper work in your heart, let him give you a servant’s heart. May God hold this testimony about you that, you are man after his own heart, man who is moved by what moves him!

If you consider our leaders today, God is looking for unselfish leaders who are not preoccupied with their own interests but the interest of other people as well. For instance our country of Kenya has on several occasions been a victim of greedy leaders, we have had enough scandals that have fleeced a once magnificent country, It is very had in our African countries to find faultless political leaders who have an impeccable record, leaders who can stir our nations to posterity, but I believe that God is about to bring to notoriety, leaders after his own heart that He has been preparing in secret.

We also need today spiritual leaders in Africa who would rather have God than have anything. As God is bringing the continent to a place of prominence spiritually, he is about to reveal leaders who have the character of Christ embedded in their being. Leaders with a servant’s heart

Rediscovering the pearl of servanthood

In Luke 22:27, which takes place during the Last Supper on the night in which He was betrayed, Jesus starts by stating what would be accepted at true in both Greek and Jewish cultures. He sets up a dinnertime situation, and asks, who ranks greater, one who sits at table, or one who serves? Then he answers that it is one who sits at the table. So far, so typical. But it would be unlike Jesus not to turn those tables: "But I am among you as one who serves." Jesus is talking about more than being a waiter, though, and is not content with mere talk. He takes on the smellier, uglier task of washing feet. The host cleans, gives manual services of labor, and becomes someone to literally look down upon. The Authority serves. This is not at all the only example of Jesus' Servant-God approach, but it is the most direct. The hub of this way of seeing life is found in John's account of that same night, when Jesus calls on His disciples to love each other as He does.

Why is service so central to Christian belief? Because we follow a God who serves. Do we dare hold ourselves to be greater than God, and hold that what God does is too menial or dirty? Even more, we follow a Christ who loves others. Dare we spurn those whom God treasures? Apparently, we do dare, because we do it. We fail to serve, to care enough about someone else to act in their favor. It's not as if servanthood is hard. You can do it. It doesn't take a God to pull it off. But then again, maybe it does in a way, for Jesus wasn't out for self-this and self-that, but rather others-this and others-that, and was able to pull it off. God wants to work through you. Maybe we have to rely on Jesus' character growing in us, as it brings out the fruit of the Spirit, and focuses us on doing right by others.

Servants aren't posers. They know they're not superstars. That helps others see that they too are just people. They can be held accountable, because they're not trying to be crafty and aren't into c.y.a.. A servant of Christ chooses to be like Christ and serve others. They do it in whatever way is needed, but prefer doing it in person. They see freedom not as a great way of doing something for themselves, but as the freedom to do what's needed to lift someone else who needs it. They forgive those who do them wrong, since God forgave them in Jesus. Most of all, the servant is actually looking for helpful ways to serve, to give, and to build up. They're glad to do it. The Spirit gives Christ's servants gifts so they can build each other up.

The question that separates the wise from the wimps in spirituality is how to serve others, especially those others who are dealt the worst of hands by our society. It's where most people's spirituality (Christian or otherwise) turns tail and runs. No turning tail here : the writers teach us big-time lessons in real compassion.
More on teaching your children to serve.

Senator's potrayal of servanthood

with the arrival of senator Barrack Obama in kenya.His 15 day trip to africa may not be monumental but i tend to think that right here in kenya it has been of great significance.Not only because kenya is belived to be the country of his father's roots but also because of his ideologies.His coming to kenya has been highlighted with alot of expectancy and has caught the atention of people from all sectors.All the media outlets in the country have been filled with stories that have been centering upon the senator's trip.I was particularly amused yesterday when i ws going through one of the local dailies on one of the columns and this is what it said"...if your ancestors were born near the lake Victoria and you have not booked a room for a weekend in kisumu city/( a town on the western region of kenya where it particularly Senators father hails from) then you are a bicupili-ugandan's slang for fake."

The writer continued to say that a true descendant of the lake could not afford to be dancing ohangla -traditional dance for the luo community in kenya- in nairobi while the regions most prominent son touched base with his roots.

However since iam not from the lake region, none of this really caught my attention. The only thing that aroused my interest in this purpoted son of the lake was his seeming servanthood spirit.I read again -somewhere else- that when one American journalist asked this son of the lake-rather arrogantly, according to the writer- why he was heading to Africa. the son of the lake frankly stated "Because Africa matters!"
Right there the son of the lake made a mark on my servanthood scoring board. our world today needs leaders who will be willing to go beyond their comfort zones and reach out to other peolple selflessly.

Phil 2;3. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.ech one of you should look not only to your own interests , but also to the interest of others.

To many people, senator Obama's Africa visit may spell a different meaning but i particularly see his visit as a definition of selflessnes in servanthood in a leader.my prayer is that we will have many more leaders that can emulate him and realize that all human beings on the face of the earth matters!

servant leaders

A few days ago i was in one bookstore,I happened to meet with the bookstore owner and asked for her opinion as a bookseller on the subject of servanthood.This is what she told me "people don't want to be servants they want to be leaders..."

Right there she got me thinking..could this be the reason alot of us are missing it out in leadership?Alot of people are getting into leadership with a wrong notion.the notion of power.Most people's underlying motive of ascending to positions is so that the may look powerful.

If at all there are by any chance people out there who share the same opinion with my boostore friend then we have very reason to be alarmed.Recently right here in kenya we had by elections for parliamentary seats.It was quite a suprise to see many of the emerging winners being young people.my prayer is that unlike the kind of leaders we have been having in Africa ,this new breed of leaders will be different and will adopt the principle of servant leadership.
Africa as we know it has been known to breed bad leaders who are obssessed with power that they end up abusing.But iam sensing a fresh wind of change blowing all over africa and soon we are going to have leaders who have the people's interest at heart.leaders who will not be comfortable in looting public funds to fill their garage with expensive vehicles while majority of the people they serve cannot even afford a proper meal and live blow a dollar a day.May God raise leaders in Africa who will not be insecure...leaders who will not clinch to power and use all means possible to mantain certain positions.This is why exactly i beleive that the new breed of leaders God is preparing in Africa need to read the book "REDISCOVERING THE PEARL OF SERVANTHOOD"

servant hood

There are alot of changes that are taking place in our world today and i belive that the changes i have been seeing right here in kenya are happening everywhere...the blue tooth , the ipod, itunes etc ...there is just alot to learn in our todays world..however as somethings keep changing there are somethings that will just never change,alot of principles always remain the same.i mean the fact that we are living in the era filled with great electronical gadget explosion does not negate the fact that we still have the force of gravity and that if you climbed a tree and and jumped from it you wont fall.
This is exactly why i believe that the principle of servant hood that our lord jesus christ taught is still important for any generation.Our todays generation needs to learn that to make it to the top you must begin at the bottom.there is no short cut for greatness.greatness has a price tag called servanthood-For this reason i belive that the new book i have written is going to be an invaluable manual for both practicing and aspiring leaders:Rediscovering the Pearl of Servanthood