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Anton Lever

Training for the Big Game

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Do you think it’s necessary to prepare for trials and possible battles in your life?

Most people I know just hold their breath and hope for the best. No preparation.

If you knew that a big event, like for instances the Soccer World Cup, was coming up wouldn’t you make sure that you train for it? I’m sure your answer is yes. This is a natural response to such a big affair.

In the same way, we as individuals should always be prepared for attacks and challenges because we do not know when they will take place. One thing is for sure though, things will happen.

When times are ‘quiet’, and it looks like all is going well, that is the time we should be putting things in place that will be our defensive line when we come up against opposition. That is the time that we should arm ourselves and stand ready for whatever comes our way.

Soccer players spend four years preparing just for this one event, shouldn’t we be even more prepared in the game of life?

In the Bible, it says in Romans 8:31 (NIV):

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

When we choose to include God in our team, He becomes the ultimate defence.  This doesn’t mean that opposition won’t happen, but it does mean you have someone on your side who is fighting in your corner, regardless of the attack. However, you need to pick Him as part of your squad.

The Bible tells us that the only way to have God on your team is to go through His Son, Jesus.  If we accept that Jesus came to fix our broken connection to the Father, we can know and experience life as God intended – in a relationship with our Creator.

If you would like to know how you can have God on your team, we would love to talk to you.  Please click on the link below.

International Women’s Day

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In 1975, during International Women’s Year, the United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day on 8 March. In December the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States. This in accordance with their historical and national traditions.

By doing this the General Assembly recognized the role of women in peace efforts and development.
This brought an end to discrimination and an increase of support for women’s full and equal participation.
International Women’s Day first emerged from the activities of labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and across Europe.

The first National Woman’s Day was observed in the United States on 28 February1909. The Socialist Party of America designated this day in honour of the 1908 garment workers’ strike in New York, where women protested against working conditions.

international womens day

The Socialist International, meeting in Copenhagen, established a Women’s Day, in 1910 in character, to honor the movement for women’s rights and to build support for achieving universal suffrage for women.
In 1911 the Copenhagen initiative, International Women’s Day was marked for the first time (19 March) in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, where more than one million women and men attended rallies.
During 1913-1914 International Women’s Day also became a mechanism for protesting World War I.
Against the backdrop of the war, in 1917 women in Russia again chose to protest and strike for ‘Bread and Peace’ on the last Sunday in February (which fell on 8 March on the Gregorian calendar). Since those early years, International Women’s Day has assumed a new global dimension for women in developed and developing countries alike.
The Charter of the United Nations, signed in 1945, was the first international agreement to affirm the principle of equality between women and men. Since then, the UN has helped create a historic legacy of internationally-agreed strategies, standards, programmes and goals to advance the status of women worldwide.

GOD DOES ANSWER PRAYERS

To be honest, I must say the headline “Sudanese Christian may soon be free” took me by surprise.

I’m sure you are familiar with this story that’s been reported on extensively about the Sudanese woman who was sentenced to death for converting to Christianity.

When I first heard this story I felt that her fate was sealed. Although many Christians prayed and people responded with outrage over her lack of freedom to choose her own religion, I doubted if it was enough to see her being freed.

A government official on Saturday said that after Khartoum came under diplomatic pressure, they halted her execution and plans were made for her release.

The Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary, Abdelah Al-Azrak said that the authorities in the country were working to release Mariam Yahya Ibrahim who was pregnant at the time of her arrest. She has since given birth to a daughter, her second child by her American husband Daniel Wani.

This of course was great news.

Sadly like many, I had forgotten that if we pray to God, He hears us. God heard the prayers of the righteous and acted on them.

This is a story of hope and faith in a God we sometimes think is unconcerned and distant.

“And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him.” 1 John 5:15

Let’s pray for the kidnapped Nigerian girls. God does answer prayers.

African women rising in politics

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Did you know that now Catherine Samba-Panza has taken office in Central African Republic, Africa has three female heads of state?

According to activists things are looking up, although women leaders remain the exception in African politics.

Looks like women are breaking into the “boys club” of the African presidency.

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, or “Ma Ellen as she is affectionally know was the first in 2005 as the country emerged from 13 years of brutal civil war.

Joyce Banda stepped up in Malawi in 2012 after the sudden death of the president. Banda previously was the vice president.

And now there’s President Catherine Samba-Panza in the Central African Republic, a country torn apart by rebellion and sectarian violence.

It seems as though bad times have pried open the doors as each of these women has taken office amid crisis and transition. Countries like Mali have seen their first female presidential candidates.

Executive Director for the NGO Women Africa Solidarity, Oley Dibba-Wadda says that girls and young women are getting much-needed role models.

As African women break political “glass ceilings” at all levels of government, some are criticized for not doing enough for other women.

Discrimination remains, but the pool of qualified women is growing as more girls get to stay in school.

At least 16 African countries have passed parity laws. Countries like Rwanda reserve a percentage of parliamentary seats for women, while others like Senegal have set quotas for women on candidate lists.

The percentage of women in Senegal’s legislature doubled in 2012 thanks to the law.

A survey also found that a record number of women are serving as members of parliament worldwide.

The IPU (Inter Parliamentary  Union) report has found that more women last year were targets of political violence.  It says electoral violence – which includes intimidation, threats, physical assault and other aggression – acts as a deterrent to keep women out of politics.

Is Africa finally raising strong woman leaders and do you think women make better presidents than men?

 

Things you may not have known about Robert Mugabe

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I often wonder what makes people tick. Why do people make the decisions they make and why the reactions to certain things in their lives. Human nature is fascinating and it is one of my greatest interests. Amazingly more often than not, we form our opinions of people from their decisions (and rightfully so, as that is all we have to go on).

Public figures are particular targets of our judgement and opinion. One of the people who have fascinated me is Robert Mugabe.

The 89 year old is undoubtedly a divisive figure, although many are familiar only with the information of his most public life. According to an article I recently read, his childhood and adult life are filled with surprises, many of which influenced decisions during his many years as Zimbabwe’s president.

Robert Mugabe

Robert Mugabe was raised by parents who were extremely religious and strict with their son.

Throughout his childhood, he attended Jesuit school, and credits an Irish priest as one of his most powerful mentors in his youth.

Mugabe lost both of his older brothers by the age of 10.

Mugabe has always been a strong advocate of education. Zimbabwe’s literacy rate reached the highest of any African country during his presidency. This in most part was due to the fact that Mugabe worked as a school teacher before beginning his political career.

Six of Mugabe’s university degrees were actually earned while in prison. They cover a broad range of topics including education, economics, administration, and law. Degrees include a Bachelor of Laws and Master’s of Laws from the University of London’s external program, earned during his stint in a Salisbury prison.

Although the Rhodesians did release Mugabe from prison, he was not supposed to leave the country; however a white nun helped him to cross into Mozambique, where he was able to rejoin the revolutionary armies.

In 1981 Mugabe was short listed for the Nobel Peace Prize for his initial stance about reconciliation following Zimbabwe’s independence and his election as the country’s first president.

Another fact about his life is that while his first wife was struggling with her cancer, Mugabe started up with his private secretary, Grace. Ignoring popular opinion he married her in 1996 when it came out that she was pregnant with his child.

Due to Mugabe’s violent rule, the European Union issued a travel ban against him that would prevent him from entering any member countries. He was able to challenge the ban on religious grounds in March 2013 in order to attend the inauguration of Pope Francis in Italy.

Many of his honors have been revoked due to the number of human rights violations perpetrated by Mugabe.

For instance, Queen Elizabeth II rescinded his knighthood in 2008.

THE QUEEN and MUGABE

The Hunger Project took back his 1988 award of the Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End of Hunger. Numerous universities have revoked honorary degrees, including Michigan State University, University of Massachusetts, and the University of Edinburgh.

Mugabe won the most recent election in Zimbabwe in 2013 with 61 percent of the vote, although it is widely believed that voter fraud occurred.

He has announced his intention to run again for election in 2018 for the office that he has held since 1987, this despite his advanced age.

Although Mugabe had many opportunities as a leader to uplift and advance his country, the choices he has made seem to be more selfish. What kind of God given opportunities have you let go by to improve and uplift others?

 

There is always good news

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There is always good news, but the thing is that the good news is not what sells. Headlines always scream disasters, murder, corruption and anything else that might prick human interest.

Stories of disaster are played and re-played day after day. I am not saying that the news should not be reported, but that is all people seem to hammer on and they forget that in that disaster/tragedy there is always a good news story.

The good news story always seems to lagging behind until months later, it will suddenly become known that by a miracle this one and that one would have died, had it not been for God’s intervention.

Amazingly, telling what satan is doing seems more popular to broadcast than telling what God is doing.

It takes some digging deep to find the good news story, but it is there. I promise.

This is a story I stumbled on while doing a bit of research on Typhoon Haiyan.

A woman gave birth to a “miracle” girl in a typhoon-ravaged Philippine city. She then named the baby after her mother who went missing in the storm.

The girl was born Monday in a destroyed airport compound that was turned into a makeshift medical center.

Her husband said the entire community had been washed away, with the once charming area replaced by rubble and the bloated remains of people and animals.

He said it was God’s will that he found his wife floating amongst the debris.

See, this is just one good news story. If we look hard enough, we might find that there is always some good that comes out of even the worst tragedy. Before all this is over, I can guarantee that there will be many more instances where people will give praise to God for coming through for them.

Withdrawing from the ICC?

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Withdrawing from the ICC?

So the last blog I wrote centred around the International Criminal Court (ICC) and how many people on the African continent feel that the ICC targets mostly African leaders as though human rights abuse only happens on this continent.

As you know by now Kenya’s new president, Uhuru Kenyatta as well as his deputy William Ruto and subjects of a court case.  In the meantime, African leaders who met in Ethiopia have called for the ICC to defer its trials for Kenya’s leaders.

At an African Union (AU) summit on Saturday some heads of state expressed concerns that the world court is biased against African nations.

Speculation has been rife that the summit has called on all 34 African members to pull out of the ICC, due to what they consider to be the courts bias.It’s been reported that the African Union (AU) is heavily divided over the ICC.

Withdrawing from the ICC?

There is also a fundamental divide between African leaders and African people. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Anan has however warned leaders against the withdrawal. He said it will be a badge of shame for each and every one of them and for their countries if they do that.International lawyers have argued that the whole point of the ICC is to prevent national leaders from using the “shield” of immunity to escape prosecution for the atrocities which some have been accused of carrying out.

The ICC is the world’s first and only global court to adjudicate crimes against humanity and it seems the only way that justice can be done especially for those who have suffered at the hands of dictatorial leaders.It seems to me the call to withdraw from the International Criminal Court is for these leaders and perpetrators of atrocities on the continent to protect their own kind.

Do you think there is any other way that those responsible for crimes against humanity will ever be brought to book without the ICC? Post your comments below.

Is the ICC targeting Africa?

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The ICC was created by the Rome Statute which came into force on 1 July 2002 and is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.

Individuals will only be prosecuted for crimes against aggression as from 2017.

To date 122 are party to the Statute of the Court.

This includes all of South America, nearly all of Europe, most of Oceania and roughly half the countries in Africa.

Its proceedings may take place anywhere, although the Court is based in the in The Hague, Netherlands.

It is intended to complement existing national judicial systems.

It may however only exercise its jurisdiction when national courts are unwilling or unable to investigate or prosecute such crimes.

So far to date, most of the ICC’s cases are from African countries.

Charles Taylor was sentenced to 50 years imprisonment by the ICC for his part in the Liberian/Sierra Leonean war, last year.

At present before the court is the case of Kenya’s new deputy president, as well as Kenya’s new president, Uhuru Kenyatta.  His case follows in November.

Both are charged with crimes against humanity for violence that took place in the 2007 Kenyan elections.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is doing everything possible to stop the trials in Europe of Kenya’s leaders.

Although there are many instances of human rights abuses world-wide, many have complained that Africans are being targeted.

Or is it perhaps that Africa is more violent than any other place in the world?

What are your thoughts?

Mugabe, the chosen one

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Again the people of Zimbabwean chose Robert Mugabe as their leader.

Mugabe was inaugurated last week Thursday.

It came as no surprise that Mugabe delivered a searing rebuke of Western countries, again.

This is now Mugabe’s fourth decade in power and maybe this time we’ll see a change within the country?

Seems foolish to continue to do the same thing and expect something different to happen, but this is exactly what Zimbabweans have done.

Or is it a case of better the devil you know….?

In a classically bold speech, Mugabe, who was sworn in for another five-year term at the age of 89, dismissed charges of voting fraud.

Mugabe also vowed to press ahead with black ownership of white and foreign-owned companies and attacked homosexuals.

He took the oath of office at a 60 thousand-seat sports stadium filled almost to capacity.

Four leading fast food chains delivered fried chicken portions, chips and fizzy drinks in take-out packages after receiving orders for 80 thousand portions.

MUGABE

Mugabe, who led Zimbabwe to independence in 1980, signed a declaration pledging to protect the rights of the people and promised to ensure “durable peace” in Zimbabwe, which has been plagued by political and economic turmoil in recent years.

According to the main opposition party (Movement for Democratic Change) it was a robber’s party and they did not attend the event.

Zimbabwe’s state election panel said Mugabe won a landslide victory in the July 31 elections with 61 percent of the presidential vote.

Although it seems impossible that things could change for the better, let’s hope and pray that it does, by some miracle.

ZIMBABWE FLAGS

You are too white

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Can you imagine being hunted for your organs and body parts just because of the colour of your skin?

This is the nightmare life of albinos in Africa. Albino body parts are believed to have magical powers of healing and are said to bring good luck. Consequently, during the past decade more than 1000 individuals have been murdered in Burundi, Tanzania and other African countries as their body parts are harvested and sold by witchdoctors for thousands of dollars in underground markets.

Furthermore, graves of individuals with albinism must often be sealed with cement and buried indoors so that they can be protected against grave robbers hunting for body parts.

So what is albinism? Albinism is a genetic condition also called achromia, achromasia, or achromatosis. It is characterized by a shortage in the production of melanin and by the partial or complete absence of color in the skin, hair and eyes. This inherited disease can be found in humans (affecting all races), mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians.

Even though it is a hereditary condition, in most cases, there is no family history of albinism.

Albinos have problems with vision as well as skin problems and are very sensitive to the sun. In certain parts of Africa, albinism is seen as a curse due to ignorance, wickedness and illiteracy.

African albinos are on the run and are hunted like wild animals by some mad men who believe their body parts contain supernatural powers.

Amazingly, humans can always find reasons to discriminate against each other. If your skin is too dark, you are not accepted and if, on the other hand, your skin is too light……..I rest my case.

Will we ever be able to accept each other for who God made us?

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