Xenophobia

okay, i am going to be very controversial here. do not get offended. hear me out first. xenophobia could be blamed on

1. rich white people. divide and rule tactic. each time the govt starts investigating whose hands the economy is, a distraction is created. in this case xenophobia. we stop focusing on the wealth question and start stamping out fires.
2. government. the world cup is over. they have used the foreigners and need to get them out of the country again. scare them a little and they will flee.
3. apartheid. there is still heavy residual of the divide and rule tactic. it is hidden under the term diversity. diversity is to love your culture intensely and respect other people passionately. African people do not behave like this.
4. black south Africans. they are still celebrating diversity, freedom, world cups, rugby etc while foreigners are taking over.
5. unions. unions are great when they are accountable. someone said "South African unions are a bunch of spoilt brats with too much power". as an employer, why employ a South African who is part of an out of control union, when you can employ a Zimbabwean who you can exploit and make more money out of. he is educated, experienced, works his butt off and does not complain.
6. the foreigners. well, let's admit it, its not your country. be respectful, add value, don't bad mouth the people, do not commit crime, learn and respect their culture, be a blessing and not a curse etc
7. so people who is behind this creature called XENOPHOBIA?

Character

recently i was asked to give a talk on character. as i prepared the talk, i was deeply challenged by what i discovered. here is some stuff i discovered.

what is character.

• character is when the inner man( who you are when no one is looking) and the outer man( who you are in front of everyone) shows little or no variance.
• now from a Christian perspective, Character is when there is little or no variance between the inner man, the outer man and the word of God. TOUGH

how do we build our Character

• Develop a genuine relationship with your creator. a personal relationship. God's character will rub of onto you.
• Soak your self in good literature. the bible is a great start.
• Ge accountable. iron sharpens iron. a mentor will surely sharpen you axe.
• volunteer or offer your services for no gain. that will test us to the limit.
• Marriage, that surely straightens you out. my wife has challenged me big time in this area.
• Give up your opinion for 40 days. oooooooh that hurts.
• Go and ask for forgiveness to the people you have offended. Humbling
• Gut other first and give up the right to first all the time. consider others.

have a great day

shep