Discovering me: Manhood Part 2

If anyone asks for wisdom, he shall receive it. I really have seen this true in the ‘Discovering me’ series. God has really used the guest writers to give us insight on matters identity and what He says about us. I hope you’ve been taking some time to genuinely seek Him on the truths shared weekly. I wouldn’t want you to read and just go away saying “good job guys!” What is most important is that we undergo heart transformation that will produce behavioral change! This week the brief biography of the guest writer has been written by Bensolo (he contributed to last weeks post Discovering me Manhood Part 1 ) So here’s Discovering me Manhood Part 2. 🙂

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Bryan Mwashigadi is an amazing gentleman who pastors at Deliverance Church Kasarani. If he is not leading in worship, slaying them demons (slay king), seeing a scorpion and stepping on it (both the Biblical ‘scorpion’ and an actual one), seeing a lost sheep and guiding it back to the fold, or being a teacher he is a friend, a brother, a son, arguably the best person to have a conversation with, to cry with you, laugh with and by the time you are done (which is impossible with this guy) the refreshment from Christ which he is a conduit for shall overwhelm you. Okay I lied, he will call me to handle an actual scorpion. That being said, do get enriched by this wisdom on manhood from the Holy Spirit courtesy of his servant.

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 “The more the varied results online, on any topic, the less the world knows about it” ~ E. Wemali.

You don’t know her, Dr. Wemali. She was my supervisor in my campus days. I remember going to her with my final project topic about a dozen times, before we could lock down a proper title. It was frustrating. To keep going over the same thing over and over again. It was tiresome and belittling to be honest. It kept whispering loudly into my ear, that I wasn’t in control. I finally settled on a topic on e-waste management, its disposal and all. Back then, all I did was whine at how little there was online about e-waste management in Kenya. Lesser still in Kenyatta University’s post-modern library. (You have to say it in full now, I hear. Apparently it’s demeaning to just say lib. Smh. :/ ) All I could see then was how difficult it would be to get information on my topic.

So this one time I was so frustrated over how little information I had for my literature review. I was in Dr. Wemali’s office ranting over the same. She is also a mother, so she extended grace, and let me rumble on. Only opening her mouth in the end to share the wisdom above. The more I think about it, the more I find it more and more believable. I mean, think about it. I pick up a topic and post my baseless, mostly uninformed views or understanding of the same. You do the same. We all do the same. The generation that comes after us, (because they’re probably too lazy to think on their own) picks up what we have all posted online, and without probing deeper, adds on a cool, ‘lit’ or woke statement and posts it up. And so on, and so forth. Before you know it, posterity has created an absolutely different animal altogether.

“The Mammoth no longer exists, neither does the elephant, therefore, the pig, is the biggest animal to ever roam the earth.”

With twenty billion results online to support it. To a child of that generation, years to come, that statement will be truth.

Take manhood for instance. You google the word and in under a second, you have about twenty million results. Images, definitions, mentions, ideas, philosophies et cetera. You continue to see why Dr. Wemali’s statement is true. ”You must endeavor to go to the source, Mwashigadi. You must refuse to believe the lazy lie.” You see now why I would absolutely share nothing else but what the Author of Life says on the topic manhood. We know nothing about it. I am a Man. Mainly because I could not stop time. I simply, grew up. Only to find there is more to being a man than just several years, a deep voice and maybe beard. There were the noises around me from uncles, and other men in church each with an idea of what it meant to be a man. There were the noises of my peers and those of the men around me with amazing truths and flaws too. I lost my dad at a young age. That meant I had lost a directing voice on matters manhood too.

I did what many young men reading this have done. I decided to wing it.  Not in warrior-like manner, as most of the ladies would want us to, or God our Father, rather, in silent passivity.  *sigh

Discovering Me. Isn’t that something. That’s my current full time pre-occupation. Present continuous tense. Coming from where I have been; Winging it, to where The Father would have me be; Faithing it. Scripture says, The Just (us men included) shall live by faith. This post came in at a time that I am learning to be an active man. To take charge. To be anything but passive.

See Gen 3:14-19.

The story of the fall of man. The command to keep away from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen 2:17) was given expressly to the man. This was way before the woman comes into the picture. But look, the man, scripture says(Gen 3:6) WAS RIGHT THERE WITH HER! He was actually a silent observer in all these proceedings! He heard the woman being probed by the serpent as to whether or not God has said this or that or the other, but no! He said nothing. He was passive. He assumed, it couldn’t be so bad. Actual fact, the only thing he was active about, apart from eating the fruit, was refusing to believe that God meant it when He said, DO NOT! Little wonder his punishment is no small thing. (v17) Compare it to the serpent’s and the woman’s. God goes all out. But look again! Lest we miss it, God is not leaving it to chance, why Adam’s punishment is so rich. He begins it by,

“Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree
whose fruit I commanded you not to eat,
the ground is cursed BECAUSE OF YOU.”

God wasn’t taking it from Adam. His passivity, and only that, was the reason for the punishment. His refusing to confront sin. His cowering under pressure. His unbelief in the express word of God. Basically, his passivity.

Simon Mbevi says the first thing a man ought to do, is to Take Initiative. To take charge. I agree.

I have not yet apprehended. But I know this one thing, it takes warrior-like courage to say no in a world that is bent on convenience. To lead the hand of the lady you love in purity, not because it’s woke to be celibate, rather because it honours God. It takes courage to not bribe as a man. To not cut corners in life and work with your hands, rather than quick-fix lack with a multi-bet. It takes courage in this day and age to say, “I Am Weak” and even more courage to admit the strength of another man, over your own. Especially when this man, is Jesus. It takes especially more, to say both these things together, with words and actions when faced by the opportunity to falter. “I Am Weak, But Thou Art Strong!”

The joy is, this strength, is available. Not by your own muscle or military might. “But by my Spirit” says The Lord (Zech 4:6). Be Active. Rely on The Man of War.

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Concise yet very clear call to action.

Do something, Man!

Am I the only one feeling like this should be an entire series on its own? If you think so as well, do comment and if the masses agree, I’ll definitely see how that can be done. 😉

Also, a huge thank you to ed_baba_zola for allowing me to use his portraits for this Manhood sub-series! God bless you! 🙂

Soli deo gloria!

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RESOURCES: Perhaps I could give some resources to help us as we continue to seek Him on matters identity…even as the idea of another manhood series is  brewing.  Ps- Don’t judge me on why I read a lot of material on/for/about men 😀 Maybe now you know that I’m all about boy child empowerment as enthusiastically as I am about the girl child!

• Desiring God website-

https://www.desiringgod.org/books/recovering-biblical-manhood-and-womanhood (download the book here for free)

https://www.desiringgod.org/books/whats-the-difference (this free book also comes with a free study guide that you can do with friends. I did it with my book club and some of my classmates and it unearthed a lot of societal ideas concerning manhood/womanhood that I didn’t know I had )

https://www.desiringgod.org/series/biblical-manhood-and-womanhood (this has all their material on this topic listed, including sermons and all!)

• All the Kings men by Barack Almondia-

I read this book years ago but I still remember the chess analogy this book used to describe the kind of friends a man should have. It also used David’s example in the word to expound on certain Biblical tenets on manhood. If you’d like it, kindly comment and I’ll reach out to Barack to see whether I can get you a copy, hoping they’re still in print.

https://www.facebook.com/allthekingsmenkenya/

• Man enough program by Transform Nations-

I almost had a look at my friends manual when he was doing this 10week program till I was told its for men only. Kwani what do they learn that I surely couldn’t see? *smh Well, as long as I could see the results of the program that seeks to help one rediscover of masculinity, I guess I could relax. 😀

Man Enough