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Restless Wanderings

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It is in God’s divine design that life is lived inside out—that the true essence of our being flows from within rather than without. Yet this truth is often lost amid the endless stimuli pulling at our senses. And so, many live outside in, allowing external measures and fleeting impressions to dictate their inner state. This inversion has given rise to countless restless wanderings among humanity. Day after day, we chase after this and that—always pursuing but never apprehending, always seeking but rarely finding. Many achieve, yet few are fulfilled. Our accomplishments multiply, but the void within only deepens. The world becomes a labyrinth of wandering souls: laughing, smiling, appearing content, yet overshadowed by an unshakable emptiness. Seldom do we pause to look inward, to heed the silent whispers of eternity echoing in our hearts. We lack the courage to dig into the dark, silent depths of our souls until light breaks forth. Intimidated by the shadows within, we shu...
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Wisdom of Scars.

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We live in a world obsessed with perfect beauty—flawless skin, toned muscles, impeccable shapes. Entire industries thrive on this hunger for perfection. Scars and marks are frowned upon, often dismissed as blemishes, as ugliness to be hidden. And so, we run to surgeries, conceal with heavy makeup, or hide behind masks, desperate to erase the evidence of imperfection. But what if we chose to see our scars differently? Not as stains to be covered, but as symbols to be embraced. Not as signs of weakness, but as markers of wisdom. Evidences of the unique stories marked into our beings that make us who we are. I don’t know about you, but I’ve come to a sobering realization: because of the fickleness of human nature, most wisdom must be branded into us if it is to stay with us. Without pain and without scars, much of life’s wisdom slips away. But when etched into our bodies or our souls, it endures. It remains with us into old age, shaping who we are. Think about it. Almost every...
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Flash 24: And their Eyes were Opened.

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For someone who cannot see, it might be assumed that the ultimate blessing would be having their eyes opened. Yet, scripture narrates a poignant tale of two 'blind' individuals—Adam and Eve—whose eyes were indeed opened, but only to the heartbreaking realization of their nakedness after consuming the forbidden fruit. The story of the fall offers many profound insights, but today I want to focus particularly on how knowledge influences our consciousness. We live in an age overflowing with information, where all type of knowledge multiplies by the day. Thanks to technological advancements, accessing this wealth of information has never been easier. Through mainstream media, social networks, and alternative platforms, we are bombarded with a relentless stream of data. On the other hand slogans like "knowledge is power" drive us to pursue information, often in a quest to validate our superiority. Ultimately we find ourselves in a loop of either being chased or chasing inf...
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THE RED DOOR OF FREEDOM.

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In the poem 'Nakbat Dimashq' (The Tragedy of Damascus), poet Ahmed Shawqi presents a poignant line: " And the red freedom has a door, struck by every bloodied hand." This line was echoed by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in one of his last videos before his death. As I reflected on this line and contemplated the wars currently raging in Ukraine, Gaza, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and elsewhere, I realized that it is nearly impossible to separate freedom from struggle. There are three nuances to the concept of freedom: first, "freedom from," which denotes liberation from societal constraints; second, "freedom to," which signifies the ability to do what we wish; and third, "freedom to be," which extends beyond mere actions to encompass the freedom to become who we were meant to be. Yet, in all these nuances, it is evident that historically and conceptually, 'freedom' often involves overcoming obstacles, fighting against ...
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Retained Knowledge: Lights On

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In Christendom, a lot of emphasis is placed—rightly so—on knowing God. People are encouraged to go the extra mile in their pursuit of God and the knowledge of Him. One of the common themes used to motivate this pursuit is the idea that knowledge is power.  However, there’s an important caveat to this notion.  Not all knowledge is power, except for the knowledge that is retained within us. Think back to those days in the exam room when you faced your examination paper. During that test, it was only the knowledge you had retained that could help you. Any knowledge gathered but forgotten was like a lightbulb that wouldn't turn on in the darkness—useless.  So, what am I trying to convey?   I am conveying that it is not enough to simply gather knowledge about God; we must also ensure that we retain what we know and understand about Him. Only that retained knowledge can illuminate our paths. Often, we focus heavily on gathering knowledge without checking t...
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Flash 22: Defend and Extend

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Greetings dear reader,  As we progress with the year 2025, here are a few thoughts for our consideration.  One of the inescapable realities of Christian life is that of warfare. Having been born again, we enjoy peace with God but we automatically attract enmity from the devil. He is constantly stalking and plotting against us. Like a master predator, he is always studying and marking us his targets, looking for vulnerable points through which to launch his attacks. His mission? To steal, kill and destroy. Knowing that, we cannot afford to be casual in our approach to his attacks. Rather, we need to gird up our minds and our spirits, always ready to fight back, in what the bible calls the good fight of faith. We need to settle it in our minds that we will not take the fight sitting down in our comfort zones, but that we will fight tooth and nail until we have the victory. Our mission? To possess, defend and extend. Like Jephthah, let we seek to be intentional in ...
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Memento Mori: Living on 'Borrowed' Time

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Apart from carrying the hopes of new beginnings and better days ahead, New Years also have embedded within their depths the subtle yet powerful message of our mortality. The constant ebbing and flowing of days bear the latin tidings "Memento Mori" which translates "remember you must die." Of course most of us approach the subject of our death with foreboding. We think that thoughts on the brevity of our lives and the inevitability of our death to be too dark and dull, and can only yield frustrations and attract 'negative energy' around us.  However, I'm coming to understand that thoughts on our mortality are like the proverbial "apple a day" that keeps the doctor away. A healthy consciousness of our mortality helps to keep us on the straight and narrow path of purpose. It equips us with the wisdom to chip away at the vain phantoms and excesses that plague our existence, until all is that is left is a purposeful, meaningful and etern...
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New Years Message 🙂

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Happy New Year dear F.O.T Readers!  I hope this new year finds you well and sufficiently recalibrated, ready to take on the journey ahead of us.  For this post, I want to write about something that has been brewing in my mind about "the New Year". During this season, one of the most common phrases used is 'starting over' and 'new beginnings'... From our New Year resolution lists to church sermons and commercial postings, the motifs of "starting over" and "new beginnings" are not to be missed. Not to mention the pressure that is usually placed upon the masses to "start something new". In this 'starting over' camp there's usually that group of people who are starting over on unfinished projects, goals, and tasks that were left along the way from the previous years. Then there are those that are beginning afresh that which they've never done before, and finally, there's that curious lot who ironically 'start ...
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