TRIBUTE TO OUR FALLEN HEROES The GROWJOURNAL September – December, 2010. Editor: David Dungji Chinke Contributors: Lami Chinke Zwalnan Wuyep ISSN: 2141 - 9507 Published in Nigeria © 2010 by Engraved in Gold Media Enterprises +2348065721408 Bukuru Jos South, Plateau State Nigeria " EDITORIAL : @50, where is the Giant in The Sun? The Giant in the sun it was, it suddenly appeared like a monument on the African landscape; as if it was dropped from the sky. The world powers could not help but shift their gaze to this new spectacle. Some in anxiety, wondering if this new player would be a source of worry for them in the future, position among the committee of nations was at stake. Some gazed from obvious jealousy, that how could that old dying mother imperialist give birth to another potential bully son? But as one American TV presenter noted at that time, this Giant son of Britain was quite unlike its mother. For it had no king nor queen governing it, and though it had a similar parliamentary system with a ceremonial president mimicked to look like the British system, it was clear that it would grow up to be more like its Unruly uncle: America. Many factors played to dwarf the stature of this giant, tribalism, a civil war, corruption, a myriad of military coups and the most pathetic of all, too many bloody religious riots. By 1999 when democracy came back to this nation, the giant was then reduced to a mare pigmy hardly noticeable among the emerging powers in South Africa and even Ghana in West Africa. We were all forced to ask the eminent question: Where is the Giant in the Sun? Nevertheless within the 11 years of democracy, though the impaling factors have played even more to deter the re-emergence of the giant, we of the Christian witness are ironically encouraged to say that; there is a glimmer of hope, there is a little light in the dark. And as we face that ugly giant of electoral decision in 2011, we do not fear what comes ahead, because we do not hide from the truth, and we are not covered from reality that; whatever our destiny, God is still God and forever he rules over the affairs of men. We open this edition with a tribute to our fallen heroes and heroines. " COVER : Tribute to Our Fallen Heroes By David Dungji Chinke Years ago Selya Nimak sang the popular song, “Akwai Sojoji wanda sun ji chiwo”, the title of the song which is in the Hausa language means: there are soldiers who have been injured. She tried to point out that in the Christian walk, some of us fall in the line of duty and this is not the reason for other Christians to castigate or bring them down but our job is to help each other up and encourage each other. In the bible, the story of a fallen hero starts from 2nd Samuel 1 where a young man came to David presumably mourning, to tell him that he had witnessed and even aided in the death of the king of Israel, King Saul. The young man probably thought he was going to receive a reward, for killing David’s persecutor. He actually took the kings crown and arm band and brought them to David. David’s reaction was opposite and the man lost his life instead. David’s response to this news was to weep for Saul and Jonathan, he even composed a song for the two. The song is recorded in 2nd Samuel 1:19. 2SA 1:19 "Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights. How the mighty have fallen! 2SA 1:20 "Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice. 2SA 1:21 "O mountains of Gilboa, may you have neither dew nor rain, nor fields that yield offerings of grain. For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul--no longer rubbed with oil. 2SA 1:22 From the blood of the slain, from the flesh of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied. 2SA 1:23 "Saul and Jonathan-- in life they were loved and gracious, and in death they were not parted. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. 2SA 1:24 "O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and finery, who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold. The Death of an Old Lion “They were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions…27 "How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!"” (2 Samuel 1: 23b & 27, NIV) The lion is a massive beast that is used to depict the seat of power, Jesus is called the lion of Judah. The lion is a kingly figure that rules with brute force as well as wisdom. Male lions symbolize this with their massive mane that not only makes them look fierce but serves as a sort of crown. The roar of a lion can echo for miles. One thing about a lion though is that when lions grow old, they can become a menace, normally these beasts live deep in the jungle, but they are known to attack human villages for food when they are old and tired. This is because human beings are much easier to catch. Though there are other reasons why lions attack humans, this is one of them. At this stage, the lion is normally hunted down. A story is told in far away Kenya of two park rangers who are sent on an assignment to hunt down one old lion, they set out to carry out their duty but did not return in one piece, one of them half dead and the other almost crippled, though they succeeded in killing the lion. Why would such a beautiful awesome beast become such a menace? Scientists are still researching this phenomenon, but it has been known to occur even here in plateau state. Tigers in Asia are also known to have become man eaters in old age (National Geographic). Many Park workers and specialists have confessed that it is a most difficult task to have to bring down an animal that was once under their protection. The use of animals is a poor example when compared to human beings but often, we humans can degenerate into old man eating lions. The Old Lion I remember when I had just began experiencing some growth as a young Christian, I came to a point of growth that what I was being taught in the fellowship I belonged to, stopped meeting my needs. I tried to fit in but I could not, I was suffering quietly inside till I heard a message in church one day that changed my life. The speaker said we are like sponges that need to be squeezed dry, if we do not move on and evangelize we become bloated and fat. I felt compelled to move to another discipleship group and I summoned up the courage to tell my group leader who did not understand at first that I had to leave. I joined another fellowship that more than met my needs and up till date I can testify of my experience there. The speaker that day also said that some of us remain where we should not, and become a problem to the leaders there. In that case we might eat up some young believers if we are not careful. I remember my reaction then was not very palatable, I had talked to my fellowship leader but he had encouraged me to stay, I tried hard; we were in a retreat then and we had to fast for between five to seven days, breaking in the evenings. It had become a routine; every beginning of school semester, and it was usually a wonderful time in the presence of God. But that meeting was tough for me because I knew clearly that I had already gotten my instructions to move on, after two days of the retreat, I went to my group leader and insisted I had to leave. It was not easy for some who were close to me because it looked as if I had back sliden, I rushed home that day and gulped down a whole bottle of “kunu” and a loaf of bread to go with it. Just when I was in the middle of my break – fast a friend of mine who was part of the retreat walked in. He quickly turned his eyes away from the kunu and bread but the damage was already done, I knew I was trampling on his faith. I was becoming an old lion. This state of becoming an old lion is of different stages and types, some positive some negative. Some old lions are actually old in age, and have been known to do exploits, but at a time because of the factor of age, they become slow and unable to do things the right way. Some of these are wise enough to retire. But if care is not taken this retirement period can become a problem if not well planned and God inspired. In July 2006 there was a talk show on FOX TV. It was about a family which was suffering from the degenerated state of one old lion. This was a man who had served his country well and taught his sons to do the same. His two sons had grown into respected and responsible members of the society. This old man had retired and suddenly he began to chase other women, was on hard drugs, and the end of it all was that he started committing armed robbery to sustain his drug addiction. He ended up in jail, turned over to the authorities by his own son who was a police officer. It was a hard decision to make, but, that was the only way he could be saved from the path he was taking. This state of affairs is one that is not easily recognized nor understood in our present Nigerian society, things are not as organized as in the west. Also, we see old people as repositories of knowledge and experience. It is hard to believe they are slipping into either megalomania or some sort of self destructive tendency. In the west, they also have to grapple with these things because they have resorted to putting old people in retirement homes and some lazy around at home. It is primarily the responsibility of the person involved to plan out his own retirement, his family can only help him where he falls short. God helps us with such periods as I tried to point out in my book “What is life worth; Avoiding the trap of Meaninglessness”. It takes a sensitive Christian to work with God through life and into retirement, societal factors also play but God is above all. We need to understand this in order to really tap into what God has put in these elderly ones for us. But instead, society tends to be the cause of these problems. The talk show on FOX TV insisted that the man involved was a victim of frustration; after serving his country for many years as an upright, law abiding citizen, he was unsatisfied with what he had become, he discovered that the system itself had betrayed him. Of course if not handled properly, Old lions can easily become Man eating lions, like that man, and this is what really causes damage. The Man Eating Lion The man eating lion is one who deliberately tries to destroy a young Christian or person who is doing exploits. This is what king Saul of Israel fell into, in this case, as a result of a spiritual problem; he was clearly rejected by God and instead of pleading for forgiveness and changing for the better he decided to haunt down his chosen successor. Those are the types of lions that God allows to train some of us and also to give them opportunities to return to him. In the passage above Saul’s time was done and David instead of rejoicing about his persecutors death, he composed a Psalm to honor fallen King Saul. But one thing that is worth considering here is that man eating lions are a deadly kind that we must look at closely. This is because they not only destroy those they go after, but they also destroy the good seed God has put in them, i.e. their good successor in this case Jonathan. In the case of this man on FOX TV, his sons were so disappointed that one of them was not able to even visit his father in prison because he could not forgive his father. If we look closely at the life of Jonathan, we will be apt to see that he was a man of character and resolve, this was a man who not only delivered his father’s kingdom but also willingly gave up that very kingdom which he so much deserved to David in obedience to God’s will. Saul's anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, "You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don't I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you? 31 As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send and bring him to me, for he must die!" 1SA 20:32 "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" Jonathan asked his father. 33 But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David. 1SA 20:42 Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the LORD, saying, `The LORD is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.' " Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town. Because of Saul, God had to take Jonathans life too, so that David could rule in peace. Because, though Jonathan accepted David as a friend, only God knew what would have happened when power and wealth steered Jonathan in the face. Especially that he so much deserved it. That was God’s mercy and providence at play. Saul had succeeded in cutting short the inheritance of his own seed in his disobedience to God and attempts to destroy David. This is so, because, the spirit in man eating lions is not the Spirit of God and therefore it destroys anything birthed by the Spirit of God. The National Geographic says that this is characteristic of lions because when a male lion takes over a pride it goes after the seed of the lion it has overtaken and devours them. Also, Satan’s greatest strategy is to swallow or devour Gods seed. But God is supreme and he fights his own battles and protects his own seed. Revelations 12 tells us of how God takes his seed and the woman into the wilderness to protect them from the devouring dragon. Discipleship is too important for young lions and the parents of such lions. This is where God grooms the young believer, just as God groomed David in the wilderness when he was running away from Saul. That is part of what made David what he became, a man who could cry sincerely for his persecutor, he considered Saul his father and even his supposed rival Jonathan, his best friend. This is the goal of discipleship as Jesus taught; its goal is to produce unconditional love and not just ambitious leaders who trample on anything standing on their way. One wonderful testimony about David was that; he did not rush to take over power after the death of Saul and Jonathan, but he asked God first: 2SA 2:1 In the course of time, David inquired of the LORD. "Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?" he asked. The LORD said, "Go up." David asked, "Where shall I go?" "To Hebron," the LORD answered. 2SA 2:2 So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3 David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns. 4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. Young loins and lionesses, let’s be like young king David, who refused to do anything without enquiring of God, he was not just an egoistic animal working on instinct; he was a real king and a child of God. Their Last Words There is one old lion I know, often I get the feeling he is trying to tell me something secretly, it’s kind of spooky but it’s true. He could easily pass off for a man eating lion but every time he communicates that secret message, I feel like weeping. I wish I could turn back the hands of time and things could be different with him, but the more I try the more I know there is an unseen hand at work. Every time I here that a great man of God has fallen I can’t help but ask God why, great preachers, writers, musicians, people who facilitated the growth of most of us. Recently I was listening to an old piece from one of my gospel music mentors, (now backslidden). I couldn’t help but close my eyes and join him in worship. And again I felt it, he was passing that secret message to me again. And I ask myself, how, why, is there something God is saying by allowing so many great men and women fall? Why do some of God’s generals succeed and some fail? The author of that book (Gods Generals) himself was apparently not spared the harrowing experience of failure. What is that secret message these dying heroes are trying to pass on? Is there something we are doing wrong? This edition of The GROW Journal is a tribute to all our Fallen Heroes; who died in the front lines of God’s army, some of us held their hands and tried to save them as they fell, but we could not hold on tight enough, as, they muttered out those secret words again; “Run” they said “ Run the race, go on, do not turn back, stay on your course, do not give up, but remember; whatever you do, do not let go of God’s hand, even if you can’t hold on to mine”. Our tribute is to those who were entrapped and fell; we shout a Hurrah! And say stand up, for the battle is not over! To those who find that they have mistakenly trampled on a little Childs faith we shout a Hurrah! And say be strong, stay focused; help those you can help, learn from the experience and leave the rest to God and move on, to those young ones who are victims of friendly fire we shout a Hurrah! And say the battle has just begun. To those old Lions and Lionesses who are bowing out after years and years of selfless service, you are by no means retired; look around you “Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights. How the mighty have fallen!” (2SA 1:19). This tribute is to all our fallen Heroes. Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! " Reasons Behind Carea Choices By Zwalnan Wuyep Have you ever stopped for a minute to ask yourself the reason behind what you are doing, for instance your course of study, that vocation and the passion you are pursuing. What is the motivating factor behind it? Could it be one of the following? Peer pressure, friendship, parental influence, societal trends or your own personal interest. Whatever your reason might be I hope it is not associated with what professor Olukoye Randsom Kuti described as “The colonial masters mentality” which gives priority to certain careers and disciplines as superior to others. You might have noticed the trend and perhaps that may be the reason you are into that vocation and not any other. When I was younger and growing up, the in-thing was in career choice were: law, Medicine and engineering, our parents kept calling us with these titles hoping someday we would achieve same. I believe the motive was good, but I think some over did it. Even today, that mentality has not changed, you’ll see parents drumming ideas into their children instead of guiding, counseling and encouraging their children to discover their talents and gifts so that they can develop them. Sometimes I honestly feel that some parents try to correct their mistakes by using their children. Prof. Ijatuyi Murphe says “They are not given to us to mold into our own image. They are not given to us so that we can force them to fulfill our own lives and thus, in some way, cancel our failures. They are not tools to be used, but souls to be loved.” (Murphe in Parents and their Adolescent Children 2003 pg. 10). We should consider happiness and fulfillment in life as equally important for our children. Recently, I discovered that quite a number of young ones become problems to themselves because they do not seem to have a proper understanding of their career choice or what it entails. They are either following the crowd, trying to belong or just trying to please somebody, a wise old man once said, “if you are following , you should be able to open your eyes, mouth, and ear,” implying that you ought to know where you are going. • Try to ask why someone is telling you to do something and listen to know whether that which is at stake is in line with your ambitions, dreams and capabilities before you jump into it. • Do not just do something without having a good well thought out reason for it, have a purpose. According to Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. “the greatest thing in the world is not so much where we are but in which direction we are moving”. The most important thing to do is to set a goal, because training is a waste of time if there is no goal. The principal thing I believe is to be able to make a positive impact in the life of your fellow men. A fulfilled life is that which from the start sets out its goals and pursues. Finally, remember this as you pursue your vocation and career, it is not what is around you that controls your future but what is in your mind. Harold Keown said this “I’d rather change plans while still at port than to sail and sink at sea”. " Safe Motherhood;A Global Challenge By Lami Grace Chinke Recently, my 9 month old baby fell sick, she hardly does, but this time it was a harrowing experience for me and my husband. We tried our best, but what really made the difference was the contribution of my mother in-law. She is a trained nurse as I am too, but, her touch was uniquely different. My husband even felt at a point that the cries of the little baby at times was because she wanted to go to her grandmother, when she was with her she was calm and quiet. This situation helped me to see the importance of experience in motherhood, I do not know how seriously science takes the part played by grandmothers, but African culture takes this very seriously. Unfortunately there are some cultural practices that are not too safe. But we believe that in this age, even as we advocate for safe motherhood, we should not forget the old hand of experience. Safe motherhood is a situation in which no woman going through physiological processes of pregnancy / childbirth suffers any injury, loses her life or that of her baby [Lami C. Case Study on Vwang, Jos south 2001] It involves reduced risk of diseases and deaths occurring during the child bearing age. The safe motherhood initiative [SMI] was launched in 1987 in Nairobi Kenya, where the first international conference on safe motherhood was held. The goal was to reduce maternal mortality rates by half, by the year 2000.Though there is greater prominence on the international agenda, with increasing visibility, resources and attention being directed towards it, it is still a major concern to gynecological, obstetric and public health practitioners. PROBLEMS Each year, more than half a million women die during pregnancy and childbirth, making pregnancy-related complications among the greatest killers of women of reproductive age in developing countries, of all the health data monitored by the world health organization, maternal mortality demonstrate the greatest disparity between poor and rich countries. The lifetime risk of a woman dying during pregnancy or childbirth is much higher in the poorest countries than in the richest [one in 12 for women in east Africa compared with one in 4000 in northern Europe].Within countries, poor uneducated and rural women suffer disproportionately compared to their educated, wealthy and urban counterparts. Nigeria has an extremely high maternal mortality ratio {MMR}.A UNICEF study reported a maternal morbidity ratio of 704 per 100,000 live births, implying that with about 2.4 million live births annually, some 170,000 Nigerian women die. As a result of complications associated with pregnancy or childbirth. This is about one woman every three minutes (UNFPA Notes). Maternal health as a component of maternal child health (MCH) program has been neglected over the years giving rise to the increased rate. Components of Safe Motherhood 1. Prenatal care 2. Clean and safe delivery 3. Post partum care of the mother 4. Care of the New born Causes of maternal death include: ? Hemorrhage (bleeding) ? Infection ? Unsafe abortion ? Obstructed labor ? Pregnancy induced hypertension ? Diseases like, malaria, diabetes, sickle cell anemia etc. Factors militating against safe motherhood include : ? Poverty ? Low literacy level ? Harmful traditional practices ? Poor maternal and child health services ? Poor nutrition ? Unavailability of emergency obstetric care ? Ignorance ? Poor transportation ? Unemployment Child birth has been described as “women’s struggle” (child health dialogue; internet, 2000). Maternal health rarely gets the priority or attention that it deserves. Partly that’s because the victims tend to be faceless, illiterate women who carry little weight in their own families, let alone on the national or world agenda… (Nicholas D. Krstof, New York times, March 20, 2004). Safe motherhood is fundamentally a matter of human rights; all women are entitled to good health and high quality health services. Maternal deaths are linked to women’s low status in society, and their lack of decision making ability and economic power. The way Forward ? In order for women to be able to enjoy safe pregnancy, outcomes, they need to be accorded the same opportunities to health, education and employment as their male counterparts. ? Investing in maternal health saves individual women’s lives and safeguards their well being. It also affects the health and well being of entire societies. research indicates that the health of newborns is closely linked with the health of their mothers. ? Safe motherhood can be strengthened if proper care is given during ante-natal, delivery and post Partum (after delivery) periods. ? There should be routine maternal care for all pregnancies and skilled care during childbirth. ? Provision should be made in our local clinics and maternal centers for emergency treatment of complications during antepartum (before delivery), intrapartum (during delivery), and post – partum (periods). ? Training midwives and physicians to provide basic and emergency obstetric services. ? Providing safe blood and other facilities and equipment for emergency obstetric care. ? Establishment of an affective referral system. Enlightenment of the populace and communities on harmful practices that militate against safe motherhood. ? Strengthening community based health care by improving the skills of community health workers and traditional birth attendants and screening high risk pregnant women for referral for medical care. In conclusion all stakeholders including the family community and the global society must put heads together to strengthen the global program of safe motherhood, to make the woman relevant in the scheme of things as her importance and contribution to the society can never be overemphasized. <<  <<   >>